Final Illusion A Final fantasy VII Novel
by Peter J Marcroft
Summary: FF7 Novelization Chapter 12 online!: - In the port city of Kalm, Cloud gives his allies a first hand account of life serving with Sephiroth, whilst in the city of the future, the Shinra prepares the first phase of power following the rule change...
1. The Edge of Darkness

Chapter 1 - The edge of darkness

The world was in an ever shifting state of flux, it shifted and changed in a heartbeat. For the last thirty years the change had led people to see the world as a dark place, full of malice and misery. For these disillusioned souls there had to be a pinnacle, a place that mirrored the reality, that their planet was nothing more than a ball of congealing corruption.

The western continent housed that very place, it was a city of the future, a civilisation that surpassed every achievement mankind had placed under its belt. Midgar was the crowning glory of the new god, a secular corporation named Shinra. Unlike every other settlement, this metal monstrosity had two levels. It was the ultimate oppression against those who had nothing and the ultimate worship of those who had everything.

Many angry young singers would croon bitter songs of how heaven and hell was not an afterlife, but an eternity of suffering or bliss within the boundaries of Midgar. Truth to tell, it was a world that thrived on chaos and domination. On the upper plate everything a person could want laid in wait. With nothing besides the corporation's headquarters dwarfing their horizons, the people of the upper tier gorged themselves on cleaner air and basked in the glory of the sunrise and sunset. Their homes were made from bricks and slates, functioning drains drawing rainwaters away. More than this, their streets were not clouded with fighting members of public.

In the lower levels, life was much more of a challenge. Midgar's lower city was where razor sharp wit and brutal savagery were needed to survive. Few kind hearts were offered to strangers here, indeed, many of the gangs saw the word stranger as a euphemism for enemy. Fearful citizens cowered together, huddled in their shanty houses. Pitiful dwellings forged from road signs, rusted drain pipes and other clutter that the people found within the streets. In the movies whenever a disaster occurred, people always scuttled from the rubble to fight amongst themselves for survival... Midgar was the opposite, the people needed no disaster, they needed no excuses. With nothing else of worth left in the city, the people played for keeps.

It was this bitter reality that had forced the group to embark on their most ambitious subversion of the masters. Most people had fought amongst themselves, or tried futile attacks on the ruling government and subsequently executed. None of the groups before them had been so unified, so driven to pull off the daring and calculating ploys. Avalanche had made their name in the aftermath of the Wutai war. If Shinra had believed that defeating the eastern warriors had earned them dominance. Then the Genesis crisis had forced them to be wary of danger at their own doors.

Avalanche had seized upon it, launching attacks on the Shinra's biggest events. Corporate dinners, parades, big openings. Each time they had left their mark, drawing minimal bloodshed but leaving their mark upon the rulers. As the group lay quietly on the train, their eyes fell upon the new recruit. They might have felt unified when the mission was briefed out, but since then, the group's eyes kept darting askance, drinking in the image of the warrior.

He was striking, his head sported a blonde mane that had been drawn into unruly spikes. From a distance he looked like some biker pin-up that teenage girls would drool all over. The wind sweeping the hair about in a random manner. But if his hair stole the limelight, then the figure's eyes drank souls. They were a very deep blue, but at the edge was a twinge of green. It was as if the man had a streak of supernatural energy coursing along his pupils.

The figure was definitely out of place on the mission, Avalanche were the sworn enemy of Shinra, but the recruit was garbed in a classic uniform reserved for the first rankers in the deadly Soldier army. A lush mesh jumpsuit that was a fusion of black and purple, despite the lighter shade, it actually was more difficult to see. The armour easily able to fade into the background in the dark. A pair of heavy shoulder pads were strapped in place, thick spikes jutting from them.

On the stranger's back was a weapon that really struck a chord. The sword was styled in a similar way to an ancient broadsword. Its blade easily forty-two inches long, and at least three inches thick. One had to wonder if the swordsman chopped through his opponents or merely clubbed them to death.

"Station approaching!" One of the activists yelled suddenly. "About one mile left before we slow for station one!"

"Awright, everyone be ready!" The leader called, ducking swiftly into a recess on top of the train. The Soldier warrior simply shrugged and lay down, opting to say nothing.

For three minutes the bumpy ride continued before a hideous screeching sound excreted from the rails beneath. A final puff of energy twinged steam was spewed from the front locomotive before all activity ceased. Silently the group prepared their assault, eyeing up the two guards who patrolled the platform. The leader threw his left arm up and instantly his two pointmen began the assault.

The first to attack sported a dark green outfit that ended just below his knees, carefully tucked into a pair of brown boots. The red bandana that held the rough mane of black hair in place; fluttered in the light breeze. Silently he slid up to the edge of the platform, hidden in the space between the rails and the undertray of the carriage. He waited patiently for the first guard to walk on by before he leapt up from the blind spot.

The thick baton in his right hand smashed against the centre of the guard's skull, a sickening sound filled the air as it began to dislodge from the tip of his spine. Dazed and confused the man staggered around, only for the fighter to thrash the club into his windpipe. Desperately the guard attempted to breathe, his mouth sucking frantically at the air, hoping to draw oxygen into his lungs. The terrorist turned his back as the man's face turned purple around the visible jawline, before he collapsed into a heap, the suffocation complete.

Behind the man came the sound of a clicking, instantly he froze as he felt the barrel of the gun being pointed at his back from a distance. Silently he cursed himself for a fool, he should have hauled the guard down to the rails, rather than leave himself open for a capture at the other end. Slowly he sank to his knees, placed his hands on his head and interlocked the fingers.

As the guard slithered along the platform she silently appeared from the crawl space between each car. Unlike her comrade the armour she wore was a dull grey, designed to slip into the surroundings of machinery and industrious workmanship. Her long brown hair was held back by a thick red bandana, while a long set of strands fluttered uncontrollably at the sides of her head.

Her brown eyes were trained on the enemy, the thick metal armlets guarding her wrists shone as the light of a nearby streetlamp kissed them delicately. Her palms clutched tightly at a pair of knives, their silvered blades reversed so that they pointed towards her own body. Stealthily she followed her target, her movements silently mirroring that of her quarry. As the careless man reached for his belt to retrieve a pair of handcuffs, she pounced. Quickly turning her knives the other way around, the blades stopping barely an inch from the guard's throat. The figure gave a yelp of terror before the edges ripped through his jugular, spraying blood across her ally's back.

"You could have made him mess up the platform instead of me!" The man protested as he clambered back to his feet.

"And you better look out when in a fight!" Their leader called, "these lot ain't jus' some raw cadets."

"You don't have to worry about Soldier." A voice called, the group turned around before watching the new recruit leap from the train in a flamboyant somersault. "It's not likely that Shinra will have them patrolling the reactors."

"That's cuz all the others are distractin' them suckers! The big fight in sector 2 is all that they's be caring about!"

The former Soldier nodded silently. "It's only a good ploy if we are quick enough to exploit it."

The leader's eyes narrowed. "Jus' becuz you were once a Soldier don't make you leader. But you're right, we's better move out!" Ahead of him the group darted for the edge of the platform, leaving the man alone.

As they departed the figure realised that he didn't even know their names, it summed up all his feelings for the mission ahead. This was not some battle that he would gleefully live and die for, not like anything he had been involved with for the conglomerate. There was an irony in that one of their former elite had turned traitor, he doubted that his fellow warriors would ever be driven by anything other than a wish for his death.

Silently he walked upon the first corpse and roughly searched through the pockets of the uniform, swiftly pocketing a couple of tiny curative items. Disappointingly they had possessed no money to pilfer or weapons that were of any use. Giving up the search of the body he made for the exit when a light that hung from the platform roof sounded. He cursed and realised that the general alarm had gone off.

Angrily he darted free of the platform and turned back to face the archway that led directly onto the platform of Sector 1. A pair of guards ran along the platform, the signal box that had housed them stood on the horizon and the Soldier grinned, they had been more intelligent than he anticpated. Carefully he slid against the wall, out of sight of the entrance door. Quickly he drew in a deep breath and held it. His heart beat slowed, and the silence grew.

The guards fell for the ruse and rushed free and onto the street. Comically they looked on ahead, confused, when the sound of metal cutting the air caught their attention. It proved too late, the huge glave completed a semi-circular arc, both heads falling to the cobbled road outside the station. Cooly their killer glanced back and saw that the station had fallen into silence, with no other guards in sight. Smoothly he threw the sword over his shoulder, the two holes in the blade anchored by the magnetic orbs that had been fashioned into the back of his suit.

With no threat of attack, the figure drank in the image of sector 1. Like all other parts of Midgar, it was an imposing vision, colossal girders sprang up from deep beneath the cobbled roads and concrete pathways that ran parallel at their side. While a deep ringing sound tolled in the distance, a constant banging, as if ten thousand iron mongers smelted simultaneously. The sky, normally so vibrant and light, was hazy and muzzled, the mako driven smog being what drowned the northern part of the metropolis.

"Huh?" The green clothed terrorist called as he turned to face the warrior, the sound of his thick boots rousing him from the daydream he had fallen into. "So you're the new guy eh?" He joked, offering out his hand. The former Soldier ignored it. "Heh... You're really serious about things aren't you? Don't say too much. We don't even know your name."

"Cloud." The figure replied cuttingly, with no hint of comradeship.

"Cloud eh? Well my name's Biggs, that there is..."

"Do me a favour." Cloud began, "save your breath. I don't care what your names are, I am here for this mission, after that I am done."

"Hey man! What kind of attitude is that? Want some quick cash before you go back to Soldier?" Biggs instantly felt fear as the words echoed from his mouth.

Cloud's eyes narrowed. "If I were going to go back to Soldier, you'd either be dead, or shackled to the back of a truck being dragged to the Shinra tower. Now, if you want to keep your tongue, stop it wagging."

Ahead, the woman fighter turned her head to him. "Let's save the brawling for the inside of that reactor right? Getting the mission done is what matters isn't it?"

"Save your breath Jessie, guy isn't worth it."

The woman threw her gaze back at the small computer screen that she had been transfixed on, the ambivalence throwing her nerves all over the place. Cloud kept his eyes focused on the huge iron gate that stood between the high concrete walls of the reactor. It reminded him of a prison, he pictured the vast entrance opening up and truckloads of shackled inmates being flung into their cramped cells.

Despite the gate, the reactor lacked the fearful image that an ancient prison had, though it certainly matched it for size. The main cooling tower rose way above his head, as his neck craned further backwards in a vain attempt to view the tip, he gave up once at full stretch and guessed the height to be at least two hundred feet.

"Where's Wedge?" Jessie asked suddenly.

Biggs chuckled. "How could you misplace a fat git like him?" Jessie rolled her eyes, while Cloud simply ignored the whole conversation. He was beginning to feel like the mission would be a disaster, having been the only one to cut off a rear assault, he now found two of the main techs joking in the street about one of their own. "Heh... Well anyway, you know what he does best right? He's up on the roof of the train station, scanning the distance."

Before Cloud could ponder that move, the leader stormed into view from the right hand road. As the figure was surrounded by the light of the lamps, Cloud found himself taking a long look at the man. Unlike many of the populace, the figure was dark skinned, a stubbly beard formed along the line of his chin. While his hair had been cut razor sharp in the style of a marine. The figure's biceps bulged with the veins visible to the naked eye. It was as if he had eaten steroids for breakfast.

As unusual a look that was, it was not the thing that made the man so eye catching. Not even the rough clothes, a sleevless brown bomber jacket and thick green khaki trousers combo with thick platform boots, was what dragged Cloud's eyes to the man. It was his right arm, where normally a fist hung, was instead a gigantic gatling gun. A long belt coiled repeatedly around his body, feeding the slugs into his arm. It was an awesome and terrifying sight.

"What the hell did I tell you lot?" He screamed suddenly. "Stupid idiots are gonna get us busted! Don' move in a large group!"

Jessie blushed. "I am still trying to figure out the way in, the gate lock is easy with my ice breakers, but that floor is the problem." She announced, pointing at an illuminated square that covered almost the entire pavement directly in front of the gate.

"Wha's that all abou'?"

"That's a security hot plate Barret, Soldier boy Cloud would know more about it." Biggs sniped suddenly.

"How abou' it?" Barret asked swiftly, "why's it so important?"

"You enjoy fighting an army?" Cloud asked in retaliation. "Like the idea of battling the Shinra guards, Turks and Soldier in one fell swoop? Well if you do, step right up. That plate is connected to a security line that is priority 1-A. I remember when some drunk clot staggered onto one at four in the morning. You've never seen so many pissed off members of the militia."

Barret snarled. "Then how we gonna ge' 'round it?"

Cloud smiled. "Find a way to get the breaker into the slot without touching the pad. While you sort that, I am going to check on your wide boy." Quickly he slipped away from the street.

* * *

The wind howled as it was streamed over the many folds and creases in the metals that formed the edge of the buildings in the sector. The figure was terrified at the sound and the dark felt crushing to him. But he shook his head and focused, his sight trained down the scope of his rifle. Cloud almost burst out laughing as he saw the man, he could not have been any less convincing a sniper.

He wore an ill fitting yellow armour that exposed flabs of flesh around his waistline. A thick leather belt had been strapped over one shoulder and looped through the other side, a trio of grenades hanging from one section. While numerous clips for the rifle were statue still on his main belt that doubled as the way of keeping the denim trousers from falling down. Even the western bandana looked ridiculous.

"What you see?" Cloud asked as he slipped beside the man.

Wedge yelped in surprise before pointing to the distant spire. "There's a guard watching from there, he's got full vision."

"Let me look." Cloud commanded, staring through the sight and at the glass tower on the horizon. A solitary man sat with his feet on a console that was wedged against the circular glass. Numerous dials, switches and buttons appeared to blip constantly. The figure's eyes were fixed on a wall of monitors that had been set just above the console.

"Knocking him off is not the problem, just got to be sure that if we do, the movement on the ground is held off enough to prevent me getting locked out."

Cloud eyed the man, knowing that they wouldn't have much longer than fifteen seconds. Too little time to get the man down safely should the card and shooting be synchronised.

"Can you get down in twenty seconds or less?" Wedge nodded at Cloud's question. "Then knock him off, once you shoot knock this to the street." The Soldier placed an empty vial on the lip of the roof. "Don't wait up, as soon as this is moved, you run for the gate. Do not miss the cut!" Wedge focused his attention to the forhcoming shot, he did not see the man leave.

* * *

"...He's not one of us, the guy will betray us!" Biggs protested.

Barret shrugged. "The guy's no' done it so far. Son of a bitch might later, but we's gotta keep the train goin'! Plus she gave the guy a good report, we can trust her."

Cloud walked from the stairwell that led to the roof knowing who the topic of conversation was. He didn't care, all he wanted was for this farce to be over so he could pick up the next mission somewhere else. Calmly he walked over to the trio and stood before them.

"Your sniper is set, once he has taken the shot he'll drop a vial from the roof, when it hits the floor we open the gate." Cloud cut in conversationally.

"I ain't gonna tell you again! You might be some big Soldier man, but I am the leader!" Barret barked, "this missions' goin' my way, if you don' like it then fuck off! But you's gonna kiss goodbye to your money."

Cloud's eyes narrowed. "I am not interested in your leader nonsense, I care only for this mission's success. Now if you want to wind up in a prison cell as a failure then be my guest and carry on your macho approach. But unlike you, I know these reactors and the best ways in."

"Awright then, you give us your big plan!" Barret ordered.

Cloud shrugged. "If you want. The plate is too sensitive to simply cover and walk on. Now Barret, you and I are both pretty strong so I reckon we hoist Jessie up using a rope looped over streetlamp. Biggs then pushes her like a pendulumn until she is close enough to card slot, at which point she thrusts it home, opening the gate."

Silence ruled before everyone began to laugh, Cloud stood motionless as the crew lost all their focus. He had had enough, the whole thing was a complete nonsense, if they wanted to be brash then they would, but he wouldn't be part of it. Silently he turned his heels and walked back towards the station, knowing that if he followed the lines, he'd reach the inner plate and a way out.

A thick arm planted on his collar and turned him around, his eyes stared straight into Barret's. His face devoid of the humour that had been there just seconds earlier, by his side the two aides stood stock still. Not knowing if the pressure of the situation was about to blow up worse than the reactor would.

"You walkin' out? Gonna jus' leave us to go right along alone? Who'd you think that you're dealin' with! Avalanche ain't about being an army, but about sticking it to those bastards!"

"Are you done?" Cloud asked coldly. "You want this mission to work? Then you think serious or you fail."

Barret snarled. "Listen! We ain't gonna jus' be like the Shinra! We want to take them down. You in or you out?"

"You going to listen to a simple and effective plan or laugh your way to jail?" Cloud countered bitterly.

"Enough, let's bury this." Jessie cut in suddenly, "the plan actually sounds ok. We laughed because someone as military bound as you would be able to come up with something so childish. It caught us out."

"I served in Wutai, simple but effective, it won us the war." Cloud responded, "strike while the iron's hot, you in?"

Barret smiled and reached for the pack. "Let's get this party started!" He announced, before raising his right fist into the air.

* * *

Wedge lay tight on the rooftop, his eyes intently staring at the distance. A dot formed in the centre of the scope, trained on where the bullet would go through. Below he watched Barret raise his left arm, the signal for the mission to go green. Calmly he made short rasping breaths, his heart rate quickening as he envisioned the aftermath of the shot.

Shaking the cobwebs from his mind, he placed his chunky finger on the trigger and prepared to fire. The tiny airstream that was spewed from the fan underneath the barrel faded to the right by about one degree. Cooly he calculated the shot in his mind, knowing that he'd have only a split second to shoot again should the first slug fail to find the target.

Refusing to be cowed by thoughts of failure, he pulled the trigger and felt the weapon recoil under his armpit. Though the barrel spewed no sound as the slug flew from inside. Wedge kept his eyes on the enemy and watched as the target was punched backwards, a hole in the centre of his skull. Wedge felt exultant as he rose to his feet, yet a sudden downer came upon him, this was only the beginning. Cooly he kicked the vial off the edge of the roof and rushed down to join the others.

* * *

Cloud listened intently and as soon as the shattering glass inched through his ear drums he barked for the plan to start. Barret had been elected as the anchor, the rope coiled tightly around the back of his waist and he crouched at an angle of forty-five degrees. Directly in front of him Cloud mirrored the position and they each began to pull backwards. Jessie slowly inched from the floor, gesturing for them to continue the movement with her arms.

Cloud watched her constantly, knowing that shortly the pair would have the difficult task of keeping her at one constant height while the rope was subjected to swinging forces and extra weight. One slip from either of them, and that plate would be sending its distress call throughout Midgar. He refused to let the thought unsettle him and suddenly he anchored his legs in one place, tightly holding the rope still.

Biggs wasted no time and took three running steps towards his hanging ally before pushing at her behind with both hands. Jessie swung for a few feet before coming back towards him. Carefully Biggs braced his palms in place to control the backswing, before helping the pendulumn motion go forward again. Four times the move was repeated before Jessie felt confident enough to go ahead. Cooly she wrapped her palm around a jutting iron bar and held her position above the card slot. Swiftly she pulled out the transparent card and slotted it home, a green light surrounded the panel and the gas pistons sounded, triggering the door process.

Beneath Jessie the panel light died and instantly the rope slackened, letting her down. Quickly Avalanche gathered their movements and rushed through the opening. Cloud began to count seconds as he stood at the gap and looked to the street beyond. From the stairwell Wedge appeared and desperately tried to run. His bulky frame rendering his efforts far slower than any of the others.

At the side of the walls the gas pistons sounded again and the gears began to warm up. Wedge grunted and rushed as hard as he could, his feet pounding over the darkened security. Suddenly he flung himself into the air and skidded on his belly across the threshold. As he came to a halt against a metal pipe, the gears ground into life and the gate closed behind them.

"Well for better or worse we are inside." Cloud orated.

"Yeah and we's not gonna just go out the same way we came in. Wedge, use that stuff of Jessie's and get the main gate to sector 8 open. We are goin' to take the rail route to sector 7. Everyone else follow me!" Swiftly Avalanche ran towards the cooling tower and the reactor's main entrance.

* * *

If the tower had seemed imposing to Cloud at the very entrance, up close he truly understood the nature of the beast. At surface level the tower stretched for over two hundred feet into the air. But below Cloud was chilled by how deep the reactor was, even though he had been inside before, it still caused fear to bubble through him. His eyes stopped trying to digest the image of the tower once it got past the service levels between the plates. The distance was too much to take in.

As he attempted to draw his vision back from the edge, his pupils drank in the hypnotic display of lights from the ground below. A black curtain of darkness had draped across the scene, with distant lights from houses and streets in the slums punctuating it, as if they were stars in the sky above. Cloud felt dizzy at the thought of falling into it.

He forced himself to look back up to the mission ahead, aside from Wedge, the others had turned and gone into the reactor. As a location, the Shinra had thought of everything. With Midgar being split into eight sectors there was always going to be space between them on the upper levels, so the rulers had filled the gaps with the reactors. The only means of getting to them was a bridge that crossed between the sectors, while another formed a t-shape that led to the reactor itself.

Cloud swiftly rushed along the bridge at the centre and through the main doors, instantly feeling the environment change. Where there had been a subtle breeze and a delicate sense of being high above the world. Here, the air felt dense and hot, it pressed against him harshly. Ignoring the sensation, Cloud walked along the concrete corridor and up the small set of stairs. The rest of the group stood waiting impatiently at the top.

"You keep preaching about being quick, then take forever." Biggs snorted.

"We's not got time for that. This place's gonna explode when we through with it!" Barret countered.

"Which is something I've been meaning to ask, how're we going to pull that off? A reactor this size would require an explosive the likes of which haven't been seen since the war."

Jessie smiled at the former Soldier. "It would if all you wanted to do was drop a bomb here and run away. We're a little more intelligent than that; this whole tower has dozens of air ducts that take pressure away from the cooling tower. Strap a bomb to a panel inside that and it'll explode, the flash launching a chain reaction that will feed through the entire thing."

Cloud nodded. "Not a bad plan, but where do we pull that off?"

"Jessie knows all abou' it," Barret waved the comment away, "meantime we gotta do this! The planet is full of mako energy, the people use it everyday. Thanks to these bloodsuckers all the energy is being stolen from our world!" Barret preached suddenly.

Cloud shook his head; he would have never pictured Barret to be some kind of preacher, and the suddenness of the action was excessive. "I didn't sign up for this to get some lecture. Let's hurry."

Barret's face flushed crimson. "Tha's it! Your ass' coming with me from now on!"

Cloud felt like falling into laughter; this whole mission was beginning to collapse at every single turn. But with the figure hanging by his side from this point on, it might finally shut the man up. With everyone prepared for the mission ahead, Cloud took point and walked to a huge sliding gate that stood at the end of the corridor.

Before he had the chance to think about how the mechanism worked, Jessie slipped by his side and inserted another of her transparent cards into a slot. Seconds later the sound of grinding gears filled the air, before the doors began to slide backwards.

Beyond the gate was a sinister looking industrial morass. The floor had changed from greyed concrete to a criss crossing form of wired mesh that appeared fragile. Only as he saw that many thick bars the braced them, did Cloud understand how no one had ever fallen through to the mako pools many metres below them.

A line of lights also navigated the mesh flooring, numerous cables that glowed red, green and blue all coiled about one another. While on the walls, the logos and hazard signs reflected the rainbow of colour back at him.

"You never been inside a reactor before?" Barret asked, as the figure gingerly led the way.

Cloud nodded. "Many times; just not for a long while."

Barret seemed to take in his words before he shook them off, changing the subject abruptly. "We need to get down the lift. From there, we go on further."

Silence filled the air as the pair began the walk through the open level of the reactor. The echoes of his footsteps disturbed Cloud; it suggested that the place was totally empty and he didn't entirely trust it. One doesn't just get away with knocking off your main man; no doubt, somewhere inside this mechanical maze, another set of men were waiting.

Suddenly a klaxon sounded, as if to prove Cloud's silent theory right. Directly in front of them, he saw the narrow line of light within the thick elevator door fill with shadow. Swiftly he darted forward, the sword swiftly detaching from his magnetic sheath and flashing into the air. At his movement, the others had also followed suit.

A loud pinging sound filled the air and the doors opened. No one advance at first, until a wall of slugs was peppered from rifles that lay on the ground. Cloud reacted quickly; he dove to his left and executed a roll that carried him back to his feet behind a pillar. Calmly he thought through the moves he had before rushing round the right hand side of the pillar and into the sanctuary of another directly ahead.

Barret looked on as the Soldier drew the unit's attention to him. With the distraction in place he ducked behind a thick pipe and carefully aimed his arm through a small gap in between the thick pipe that granted him cover, and a tiny steam pipe set above it. Anger forced him to lock the muscles of his biceps in place. When he was ready, he planted his left hand underneath the gatling gun and forced the two trigger studs inwards.

With their minds focused on taking out the former Shinra warrior, none of the guards saw the danger until it was too late. One man took three shots on his right leg, the shin, kneecaps and thigh all punctured by slugs. He screamed and fell to his back, while confused comrades spun around and fired blind, their own bullets clashing with the pipe. None saw the black man lying on his stomach, cowering low to avoid any of them drilling through the cover and into his body.

A repeated sound of banging disturbed them and they turned to see the grenade bounce towards them. As the guards saw their lives flash before them, one brave comrade threw his gun aside and dived atop the grenade. His body blown into three pieces when the volatile object exploded, shielding his fellow infantrymen from the danger.

Despite the second chance, they were all too shocked to take the lifeline that had been offered them. From their left, the former Soldier emerged and attacked, the giant glave colliding with the temple of one man, causing brains and blood to explode across the lift. A figure tried to use his rifle as club, but the wooden butt was smashed against the heavy blade. Cloud responded by head butting the figure, before thrusting his own weapon through the enemy's chest.

Behind him the other two members entered the fray. Jessie coolly twirling her blades through the air, their edges slicing sinew and chopping through flesh. Two guards fell to her deadly dancing style, before the brash Biggs followed up with some ferocious clubbing. His baton smashed one man's temple like a hollow egg, before he backhanded the weapon across the last guard's face, sending him sprawling from the elevator and straight into the gunfire from Barret's arm.

As the silence descended once again, Cloud cleaned his sword and then swirled it into the magnetic sheath on his back. The others gathered their breath before they too sheathed what weapons they had.

"That tells me we'd better hurry." Cloud suggested.

"No time to fuck around, Biggs; keep you' eyes on the doors back there." Barret snapped when Biggs had been about to retort. "Jessie, you's comin' along with the big guys." Nothing else was spoken, the trio darted onto the elevator, and towards the lower levels...

* * *

The girl could not recall how many nights she had spent walking through the cobbled streets of the upper city. Though she smiled as she felt the basket under her arm; it had taken her a long time to figure it out, but for the last three years she had been able to fill the slums with flowers, which had proceeded to her moving the business to the upper plate.

A sense of melancholy filled her suddenly as she thought of the flower cart that had started the whole plan. An insane desire to walk through the dust and danger, spreading love and peace to a world that didn't understand it, that didn't want to embrace it. Despite her wish for a huge cart that she could ride around on, she had never been able to raise the cash to make it reality.

But she still felt happy, despite it all; the flowers were always a seller due to their rarity in the dark city. It was a name she had coined herself, though she seldom ever spoke it. Unlike every other person in the metropolis, she always felt eyes looking upon her from the shadows. An inner instinct always let her sense danger before it arrived, and she could not explain the mystery behind it, only that it was there and that she had always been grateful of it.

Yet tonight, the instinct had done something different, as she had walked along the alleyway between sector eight train station and the town square, she felt no danger tonight, but instead she felt an inner calm; a sense that if she stayed right where she was, that things would work out in her favour.

Her eyes were suddenly drawn to the open door that jutted from a nearby building. Inside she saw a swirling energy and it dazzled her as though looking into it was like searching through the depths of the pool beyond life for some world beyond. But the lights made no sense and she pulled away with some difficulty. Opting to stand in the centre of the square, her basket openly swayed under her arm.

* * *

Barret had slid against the back of the elevator, and took in shallow breaths, while Cloud stood looking through the glass at the reactor outside. The buildings were imposing, easily reaching down for eight miles and further, though he knew this was just the feed pipes that syphoned the energy from the planet. The actual walkways were likely to comprise no more than one mile at a push.

"As I wuz sayin'" Barret began suddenly, "the planet's slowly being eaten alive. All these machines just suck it dry."

"It's not my problem." Cloud answered in a bored tone.

"The planet's dyin' Cloud! Can't you see that?" The burly man pleaded.

Cloud shrugged his shoulders. "Getting out of here before the roboguards come is all I see. The Place'll be swarming if we aren't careful."

Barret raised his fist and snorted, Cloud ignored him; he neither needed nor wanted the man's approval. On the other side of the elevator, Jessie focused on the console that controlled it, no doubt keeping her distance from the storm that brewed behind her...

Barret was gobsmacked at the size of the world about them as the trio stepped off the elevator. To the untrained eye it seemed to continue forever, with the level they stood on being nothing but an entry to a never ending descent. The huge squared area resembled a helipad, though a small refinery lab stood at the end, with huge rails surrounding the perimeter to prevent anyone falling over the edge.

Beyond the square area was a huge chute that descended down into a huge pit that was full of white fluid; a by-product of the energy refining process. While the many rails and girders strained against each other, they somehow spread the tonnes of weight and stopped an eventual collapse of the whole structure.

Cloud warily took point, with the other two members transfixed on the sheer scale of the reactor, he wanted to be sure that they didn't blindly fall into a trap. So the Soldier carefully set foot on the first step of the stairwell that was directly to the right of the lift. Quietly and swiftly he made his way down the sixteen steps until he reached a middle level. Part of him felt like he was within a multi-storey car park; the low roofing and constant presence of stone pillars almost had him looking for a space to slip into.

The figure shrugged off the distraction quickly; checking behind him to ensure that the pair had not wandered away. Steadily the group advanced across the central level and onto another set of iron stairs, though this time they spiralled around the square tower. As Cloud reached the end of the first set and was ready to turn he instantly halted the advance and reached into his sidepack.

"Hey punk what d'ya think ya doin'?" Barret asked aggressively.

Cloud signalled for silence. "We haven't seen any guards yet, and blind corners make a good place for an ambush. Sit back and keep quiet."

He pulled clear a small mirror that was no more than two centimetres in height. Carefully he dropped to his knees and angled the object so that its reflective side could reveal what waited around the corner. Tilting it three times, he took note of the inverted image of the environment before the mirror. He cursed silently before dropping back to the pair behind him,

"What's up?" Jessie asked.

"They were ready for something like this, I'll give them that." Cloud cursed before explaining, "at the bottom of the stairwell's a large perimeter; maybe about twenty four metres across. After that there's a narrow bridge that leads through a gate into the next area. That square's loaded with at least twelve men from the Shinra guard." Cloud replied.

"They'll see us comin' if we jus' bust on in!" Barret snorted in disgust.

Cloud nodded. "I agree, so we'll need to distract them somehow. If we can get something to fall behind them and make them focus on the stairwell behind them, we can launch a surprise assault from the front."

"How are we going to do that? We don't have a rocket launcher or anything long range that can affect everyone." Jessie protested.

Cloud pulled two grenades from his pack. "Trust me; it'll work. You two wait here; once the explosion goes off, start the attack. I'll back you up straight after." The man darted from the startled pair before he could be forced to listen to Barret's indignant protests; if they liked it or not, the plan was in motion.

* * *

It hadn't taken long for Cloud to rush back up the central level, threading two long pieces of string into the pins of the grenade. Carefully he secured the knots, making sure that he did not set the charges off by mistake and, once he was ready, he lay on his belly, sighting the line of the guardsmen. From up top he could make much more sense of the plan that Shinra had implemented.

The twelve men had formed in a perpendicular line that was angled in a slight v shape towards the centre. He silently approved of the idea; it granted them a cleaner run at an avenue of escape should the enemy somehow manage to overcome the onslaught of sheer numbers. A smile filled his lips as he lowered the grenade arm towards the floor; the only flaw in the plan was that they hadn't seen this coming.

Cloud rolled the grenades over the edge and each length of string began to unravel from within his palm. He watched the thread swirl repeatedly and the balls shrink before a small amount remained. Jerking back his arm and closing the fist, Cloud felt the initial resistance before the pins popped clear.

Three seconds later they exploded, his lengths had been off and the detonation had occurred over the heads of the unit. While they were shaken, they had not been scattered as he'd hoped. Thinking fast, Cloud leapt over the railing and entered freefall, landing on top of a thick lighting rack that coursed repeatedly above the square below. Crouching as low as he could, he turned his eyes to the assault, and waited for an opportunity...

* * *

As the explosion rocked through the air, Barret immediately took advantage of the guards' distraction; he ran at full pelt around the corner stairwell with his right arm raised and left palm locked beneath the huge gun. As he pushed the trigger studs into the casing he flailed the arm about repeatedly - he had judged the distance to great for clever aiming.

The burst of gunfire had successfully dislodged the confidence of the Shinra line, and their reprisal took a long ten seconds to begin. Both Barret and Jessie had been granted ample time to reach the foot of the stairs. The young computer geek launched one grenade through the air before diving behind a thick mako fuel drum. She crouched low and listened as the metal casing sang repeatedly at the gunfire.

The grenade sent a light explosion into the air, shrapnel being flung at the line in its wake. Despite the desperate power behind the throw, the projectile had not gained enough ground to draw blood. Barret, throwing all caution to the winds, simply ran straight for the centre of the line. His gatling gun spewing slugs out like he were the dense clouds thrashing rain at a defenceless town in a hurricane.

A brave guard ran out to meet him, his gun set to auto-fire. Barret looked on as he fired three shots before stopping and then another burst beginning half a second later. The stop-start approach might have seemed less deadly than a raging torrent of bullets, but the extra accuracy and timing proved that it didn't take an entire clip for someone to be deadly.

One slug hit Barret in the right shoulder and instinctively he was flung backwards. The gun spraying the ground with its last shots before the spiralling stopped. The black warrior skidded for four feet before he rolled and lay flat on his back, staring at the roof above.

The guard confidently made his way forward, the rifle aimed towards the stricken warrior. A grinding sound of metal on metal caused him to stop and attempt to find the source. From above Cloud landed, his huge glave entering at the left collarbone and driving down into the heart. Placing a thick boot on the corpse's back, he kicked the body away.

The Soldier spun on his heel to face the eleven remaining fighters. Angrily he ran forward and thrust his sword through another guard's chest, catching him before the shock wore off. To his right Cloud saw one guard aim to uppercut him with the butt of his rifle and he swung away, retaliating with a right hook that shattered the figure's jaw.

From behind a burst of slugs filled the air and two guards were punched from their feet, holes in their chest and head. With the centre and left side covered, guards filed instinctively to the right, hoping to get some space and regain the initiative. None of them had seen the advance of Jessie, who had broke cover during Barret's onslaught. One guard had his eyes trained on Cloud and felt, rather than saw, the blade of her knife puncture through his jugular from behind.

Shocked comrades looked on as she pulled the blades clear and shoved the corpse forward. The dead weight forced the men off balance and further back. Jessis did not waste the chance and dived at the first guard in her path, tearing his throat out with both of the blades in her hands.

The terrified guards made an attempt to flee along the bridge and into the next zone of the reactor, but Cloud didn't give them the chance. His giant sword cleaving through two men at once before he chased down the lead guard and lunged through him from behind. The leader slumped forward on the blade and coughed blood. Before Cloud dragged the weapon back through the entry wound and the sentry slid onto the floor before him.

The trio turned back to the square, checking for any other guards that had either slipped through their assault or arrived as back up. But none had appeared, the reactor had fallen silent again - save for the distant humming of turbines and constant gurgling or mako fluid from the complex pipework. All three nodded their heads at each other before rushing along the bridge, determined to finish what they had started.

* * *

If the walk across the bridges between the sectors and the reactor had presented a dizzying view to Cloud's eyes; then what he saw within the next area of the reactor made him feel like he was on the edge of reality. The network of pathways and stairs had been replaced by a convoluted network of pipes that conjoined with one another in a pattern that stretched onwards into infinity. Each small inner network forming a square from four individual sections of tubular metal. The reactor pipes were wide, each being at least four foot across. The trio comfortably walked along them in single file.

"Sheesh! Why's anyone gonna do this shit to ge' to work?" Barret moaned from the rear of the group.

"This is the back door way in." Jessie chuckled suddenly, "we've already had fights on elevators."

"Yeah she's right." Cloud cut in, "don't forget this is going to be the heart of the Shinra reactor. They'll have put the tighest security in place, practically no hacker can get around retinal scans and such like."

The group carefully negotiated one network of pipes in the direction of a huge girder, at the end of which was a ladder that descended for approximately forty feet. Cloud took point and got to the rungs, beginning a controlled descent. Above, the others followed, save for Jessie.

"Go on ahead, I'll keep watch from up here." She called at his unasked question, Cloud simply shrugged and moved on.

As he stepped off the ladder, the Soldier took in a deep breath and calmly walked to the centre of the walkway. Ahead he could see part of the colossal cooling tower, up close he realised that it must have been at least one hundred feet in diameter. He didn't even begin to guess what the circumference would be.

Due to the incredible size of the cooling tower, the Shinra had carefully designed the area before it. A narrow pathway some ten feet wide connected the tower with their side of the reactor. Before a large squared area fanned out from it in front of the tower. Evidently they wanted to minimise damage caused by any potential explosive fallout.

The pair walked along the route and were shocked at how unmanned the area was. Cloud hd deliberately avoided looking at the abyss beneath the bridge, he had seen enough bottomless pits so far. Barret thought it was christmas, his gatling gun snarling for the chance to punch through armour. Cloud had felt differently, everything about the entry into the reactor had been too easy. While the orchestrated attack involving the fight in sector two would have cleared some security traffic from the site; there had been three enemy engagements up to this point, surely the situation should have been red flagged by Shinra by now?

He was about to ponder this further when Barret suddenly strode away from him and leant back on a railing at the edge of the platform. Puzzled by this, Cloud walked two further paces before the burly man stared straight at him.

"That thing there mus' be what Jessie wuz goin' on abou'. We's gotta get the bomb set in there somehow, get to it!" The leader huskily called to him.

"What was that?" Cloud asked in reprisal. "You're the leader here, aren't you sure you want to set the bomb? If this is done wrong then everything we've done will be for nothing!"

Barret slammed his fists together. "Jus' do it! I's gonna watch from back 'ere to make sure you don' try to pull nothin'!"

Cloud shrugged his shoulders. "All right, be my guest; if that's how you want it."

He swiftly pulled the rucksack from the ground where Barret left it and made his advance to the foot of the cooling tower. Suddenly a chilling sensation walked through his body, as if an apparition had crossed his path. Stopping, he heard a voice creep from the depths of his mind. The words malignant and hypnotic.

_"Be careful!"_ The voice spat viscously, _"this isn't just a reactor!"_

From the corner of his eyes the world began to change, it was like when someone set paper on fire, the corners curling as if flames had taken hold of his vision. The edge of his view bubbled violently before he saw a wall of red light. Tiered pods began to stack up, panicked, Cloud forced his mind to focus on the world ahead. Drinking in the image of the wide cooling tower of reactor number one. After a moment the baffling view departed, and his eyes saw the world normally once more.

"W'a's up?" Barret asked, "you gotta set the bomb!"

Cloud shook his head. "It's nothing, just a few nerves." Before the man could grill him about how a former Soldier would feel nervous about sucha routine mission, Cloud began to set the bomb. The base of the tower had a large grilled door and Cloud swiftly pulled it open. He got an image of an old wood fire in his mind as he did so. Ignoring the past images the warrior inputted the data for the explosion. Just as he made to complete the setting, a huge klaxon sounded and Cloud pulled away.

"Head's up! Looks like we got some company!" Barret yelled, pulling his gatling gun into position.

Cloud walked to the centre of the platform and stood back to back with the leader. Instinct had led him to the defensive move, with the pair able to view all areas of the battlefield. In the distance a sound of scuttling movement crashed over them like a wave. It was as if insects were rushing from an inner hive. At first they believed that an entire platoon of men had been dispatched to face them.

But as the noise reached feverpitch both men broke formation and rushed back towards the narrow bridge. A loud thud sounded from above and the pair watched as the single enemy jumped down to the platform before the cooling tower. In essence the creature was a gigantic robot guard, the shape reminiscent of a scorpion.

Eight hydraulic legs formed an arched shape at a height of around nine metres, while above it a huge red armoured exoskeleton stood for another twelve metres. The head was triangular and reminded Cloud of a beetle. Its shape oval at the front while it rolled back to form the point of an armoured spine on the rear of the enemy.

Barret's vision was arrested by the magnificent weapons that adorned the robot's arms. They had been fashioned in the vein of old rifles, the barrels easily five metres in length with the tips ridged to grant better accuracy. The arsenal was completed by a tail formed from interlocking links of metal that curled to a height of twenty metres.

Suddenly the enemy attacked, the hydraulic limbs carrying it over to the pair in a heartbeat. They each scattered as two of the metal legs stabbed at the floor of the platform. Their points puncturing through the thick concrete like it was made of rice paper. Cloud retaliated by leaping into the air and pulling off a single swipe at the joint of one leg. His blade dented the armour, while the tip scraped along a shaft the pumped mako to the underbelly.

The robot instantly levelled both firearms and used a blinding pair of swirling lasers to outline its target. Cloud did not wait for the attack and simply ran towards the scorpion. Unbelievably the machine was able to recalibrate its aim without further use of the lasers. The storm of slugs smashing at the foundations as if they meteorites. Cloud did not look back at the holes they had left in their wake.

With the enemy distracted Barret took adavantage and aimed at the cranium of the robot. His gatling gun threw bullets at the target and a constant sound of metal ringing on metal shattered the noise of the robot's attack on Cloud. Barret ground his teeth together and kept up the assault, aiming to deliver some cover for the punk he had chosen to fight by his side.

Cloud took the offer and darted through the back of the machine. Instantly he jumped onto the back of a leg joint and used it to propel himself higher. The scorpion read the sneak attack and swished its tail furiously. Cloud stabbed his blade into the back of the machine and hung from the handle. With agility Barret had never before seen, the warrior swung his weight around the blade and used the sword as a gymnast's bar.

Suddenly, Cloud leapt upwards, dragging the sword with him. The speed of the assault had rendered the machine unable to read the move and Cloud drove home his blade, the sword going through the machines throat and into some core circuitry. An electric shock flung the Solder from the enemy's back and into the cooling tower.

Barret watched as the machine shook violently on the spot, as if it were helpless. He smiled girmly and aimed once again, this time placing the gatling gun on full auto, the bullets screaming from the six barrels at a speed quicker than the eye could register. The metal storm rang out across the reactor, holes and dents forming all around the head of the robot.

Cloud shook the cobwebs from his mind and looked on as Barret continued his assault on the machine at the centre of the platform. Suddenly the tail of the creature shot into the air, curving like a bow that was ready to release an arrow. Still the scorpion stood still, not attacking the human beneath it.

The Soldier's bewilderment turned to horror as he saw the mako energy flow up from the core of the machine. It was preparing some form of attack, evidently powered by the energy that the reactor was syphoning. Cloud desperately called to the tribal warrior, but the blood had gone to man's head, and he did not respond.

Anger replaced the concern that Cloud, adrenaline coursing through him like quicksilver. Kicking his legs into the air at a sixty degree angle, Cloud jumped up to a standing position without using his hands. Swiftly he rushed at the man and grabbed his tunic, Barret looked confused, before Cloud shocked him further. The veins of the Soldier's arms bulged before and Barret felt himself being dragged away from the battle.

Furious, the leader launched a headbutt at his aggressor, which drew blood from the blond figure, though it did not stop him dragging the man clear. Suddenly; Barret was dropped by Cloud, safe underneath the belly of the beast. He was about to attack Cloud again when a blinding flash of light filled the scene and the pair watched a one foot wide energy beam shoot from above and be dragged across the platform in a semi-circular fashion.

The mako driven light formed a scar that was a foot wide and the pattern was like the aftermath of a farmer who had chopped his scythe through a field full of wheat. Barret looked at the eyes of the Soldier and saw that they glowed more fiercely than before. He shivered as Cloud silently walked past him and once again vaulted onto the back of the enemy.

This time he did not hold back, the forty-two inch blade repeatedly hacking at the armour, shafts and wires; like Cloud was a butcher smashing through meat. Barret ran from underneath the robot and saw the gap appear within the exoskeleton, without a second's thought he began to shoot. The slugs piercing through the exterior and into the core circuitry.

Cloud gasped as he saw the main mako shaft before him, he thrust his sword into the exposed armour and shattered the tube. Blue fluid sloshing from within like he had just smashed an hourglass. Sparks were spat from the armour and Cloud vaulted clear, landing roughly besides Barret. The robot staggered before toppling from the ledge. Neither pair looked down as the machine's explosion rocked the depths of the reactor.

For two minutes the pair gathered their breath, stabilising themselves from the adrenaline that still flowed uncontrolled in their bodies. Eventually Cloud returned to the iron door within the tower, a flashing red light telling him the bomb was armed and ready. Barret nodded at him and he pressed the button in deep, as he did so a beeping sound came from the leaders watch.

"We's got jus' ten minutes, so let's fucking go!" Barret roared and began to run along the ledge.

* * *

From the pipework above the platform Jessie had watched all of the action unfold. She partly wished that Biggs had been able to see it, the guy would have been forced to eat all his words regarding Cloud. Ahead of her some blood streaks were still fresh on the pipes from where she had fought off a small unit of guards; who had appeared from nowhere. Though she knew that what she had pulled off would pale compared to the battle waged by Barret and Cloud.

"Hey girl!" The burly man called as he leapt off the ladder and onto the pipe. "You see the big guy at work?"

She chuckled and nodded. "It was impressive."

"Yeah, shame that running down our escape clock isn't." Cloud cut in suddenly.

"Jeez jus' piss all over my parade eh punk?" Barret snorted.

"You want to blow the reactor? That parts done, you want to escape? That isn't, so unless you want to get burned to a crisp, you'll move it!" Cloud roared in reprisal. For a second none spoke before Barret silently nodded. "Then go!" Cloud ordered and the trio slipped over the pipes and back to the main access point.

As the elevator slammed to the top floor Barret shouted at the top of his voice for everyone to get the doors open. Cloud led the trio on, he ignored the incessant calling of the time by Barret as best he could. Swiftly they ran down the stairs and onto the t-shaped bridge.

Cloud was almost at the gate when he heard Jessie go down, cursing angrily he scooped her onto his shoulder and dove for the exit. Behind him he heard a mass of minor chain explosions, before a tremor shook the bridge and the pair spiralled into the rest of Avalanche.

The Soldier turned his head and drank in the image of the reactor. Huge fissures had formed in the outside column, while many gargantuan slabs of concrete and metal had broken free and smashed towards the slums below, tearing through some of the circular foundation of the upper plate as it went. The open top of the tower spewed a flame instead of mako smog. The heat warping some of the girders that surrounded it.

On the horizon a repeated sound of helicopter rotor blades smote the booming echo of the bomb. Instantly Avalanche darted through the gate and down a subsiduary tunnel that led them away from the main sector checkpoints. The group had no idea if the helicopters were for fighting the fires or securing the perimeter. Either way, their mission had succeeded, now they had to get out of the strike zone without being captured. Cloud knew this wouldn't be easy but silently followed the lead of the group, this was where their supposed water tight preparation would be fully tested...


	2. Shadow Running

Chapter 2: - Shadow Running

The mission had only been over for around twenty minutes. Even so, for Avalanche, they had long since moved from the site and had their focus zoned in on their escape. Cloud had decided to walk towards the rear of the group, his eyes peeled on their tail in case of any pursuit. He'd barely paid any heed to the surroundings that the group had wandered into, though he knew they were no different to any other service level within the metropolis.

The green shaded walls were squalid and damp from where the traces of Mako steam had once flowed. A few dimmed arc lights within the ceiling radiated a tiny yellowed aura across the tunnels. At the edge of the shadows small furred creatures scattered from the advancing booted feet, as though pressed on by an alien sensation that they had forgotten for more than fifteen years.

In the time before these tunnels would have once been the sewers that took the sector's waste out to the disposal sites on the edge of the metropolis. That all changed with the onset of the war between Shinra and Wutai; immediately the President had declared a state of emergency, suspending numerous freedom of movement laws and allowing military mobilisation within the city limits.

Soon the stench of the sewers had shifted from faecal matter to oils and engine grease. The deep tunnels were a perfect way to move weaponry across the colossal civilisation without being exposed to any form of ambush. But even if everyone had expected things to return to normal once the war was at an end, the Shinra had other plans. The freedom of movement laws had been forever consigned to history; while the deep tunnels sat empty and void of all movement, the new chemical refinement protocols proved of far greater economic value.

Though Avalanche had been shrewd to remember their existence on this evening, when a top government facility is attacked overtly, the sectors surrounding it attracted the Shinra militia like nails to a magnet. So the terrorists had descended into darkness, off the radar and beneath the gaze of the rulers. Cloud smiled as he thought of the government hopelessly scouring avenues above them in a vain effort to stop them getting anywhere.

Another ten minutes drifted past before the group were ready to begin the escape. Cloud had looked on as Jessie began tapping repeatedly at the device set before an ancient iron door. With his back slumped against the wall, he enjoyed the brief respite granted. For over twelve hours he had been on his feet and, truth to tell, he was starting to feel it.

The hacker rose from her squatting position and pointed back the way they had came. Confused stares looked back at her before she sighed and pointed at the device she had set.

"This charge will blow out the door and there's danger of a back draft, so we need to drop back and exploit the fork in the path." She announced as an explanation.

"We's at danger from what?" Barret asked, "ain' got a clue wha' you's talkin' 'bout!"

"Never heard of a back draft?" Cloud asked while chuckling. "It's the way that fire reacts to oxygen in a concentrated space. Basically the oxygen gets sucked towards the flames at the source. Once it reaches that source, it ignites and the flames increase in intensity."

Jessie's eyes glowed with desire. "You Soldier boys sure know your stuff! That's spot on!"

"We were trained to deal with all terrorist activity, which means understanding every kind of peril we could face on a job." Cloud replied, killing the positivity at the same time.

"I still don' ge' it. Why's it so dangerous?" Barret asked again.

"Haven't you ever blown on coals to relight a fire from the night before?" Cloud asked, Barret nodded. "There you are then; by blowing oxygen onto the embers they ignite into flames. So here, the oxygen in the air gets blown into the core of the explosion causing flames to sprout along the tunnel, only a lot faster and hotter than a regular fire because of the pressure. So we need to be shielded and divert the flames away from us. Let's get out of here."

Cloud ran on and reluctantly the remainders of Avalanche followed in his wake, save for Jessie who waited a further five seconds and then set the timer. Swiftly they had darted along the path, Cloud using his instincts to lead them into a tunnel on the right, Barret waited for Jessie to catch them before slamming the thick door shut and slamming an iron bar into the slat.

"Movement in the other tunnel." Jessie called as she looked at her computer screen, "they must've figured we didn't go overground."

"Everyone quiet down; let's see if we can use this to our advantage," Cloud cut in with a grim smile on his lips. "That back draft could make things pretty nasty for them." All of Avalanche laughed at his suggestion, before they fell silent.

* * *

Dobias led point of the Shinra advance, his machine gun held level in front of him. Looking down the barrel he had one simple policy for the mission ahead; find the terrorists and stop them. Behind him, the other seven members of his unit provided backup. They took it slowly; the torches on the end of their weapons shone into all the crawlspaces at the side of the tunnel.

"Remember the core of the plan," Dobias announced into the mouthpiece that hung from his helmet, broadcasting the message to the rest of the unit. "The enemy are to be taken alive at all costs, do not use lethal force!"

"Any sign at point, Sir?" One of the cadets called back through the radio.

"Negative, but assume they are here. Engage all hostiles upon sight; for Shinra. Forward!" He called, and the unit broke into a run.

For two minutes they ran at full pelt, their torches forming a wall of light that pushed all the gloom in the tunnels back to the edge. Suddenly, the path curled around to the right and Dobias found himself leading the unit into a much wider corridor.

"Wedge formation!" Dobias called and he felt the other guards all fan out behind him, the group now possessing the advantage of a tiered position and subsequent volley fire. Carefully they advanced for another minute until they heard a distant explosion. Instinctively they ducked low as a wall of dust cascaded towards them. For thirty seconds they rode it before Dobias ordered the charge, in case the terrorists exploited the decision.

Ahead a corona of orange crested through the rubble and instantly the unit knew that a fire was flashing towards them. Desperately they turned tail as the flames cascaded for them. Ducking to the floor Dobias thought he had got his men to safety, only for their uniforms to catch the flames and begin to burn. He barked repeatedly for his men to drop and roll, but the flames would not be displaced and for three agonising minutes the men were cooked in their uniforms, before Dobias mercifully felt himself fall into darkness, with the mission a complete failure.

* * *

Barret pushed the iron door open forcefully and aimed his gatling gun straight into the tunnel. At his side Jessie had her eyes locked to the screen of her computer, the map showing no advancing units as it had before they had gone to ground in the right hand fork. As the silence consumed the group, Cloud rushed forth and spotted the blackened corpse of a guard in the centre of the tunnel. Dropping onto one knee beside the body he pressed two fingers against the figure's throat; he felt no pulse.

"Guy's dead; looks like the plan worked." Cloud announced apathetically.

"We torched the fuckers!" Barret yelled exultantly.

"That's not the only thing," Jessie called pointing towards the blown out security door of the service tunnels. The thick sheet metal had gone, but there was now a wall of fire that covered the exit point. Biggs walked towards the flames but was beaten back by the heat.

"We can't get near it; the flames are too hot!" He cried while backing away.

"Tha' ain't good. Any ideas on how we's gonna put them out?" Barret asked; everyone else shook their heads.

"We might be in trouble," Jessie added. "There seems to be more movement at the start of the tunnel."

"They're missing a unit; Shinra won't let one just drop off the radar." Cloud cut in. "They're coming to find out what happened."

"We can't let them find us!" Wedge yelped.

"But there's no way through!" Biggs protested.

Cloud shook his head and walked closer to the wall of fire. "Hold onto your dreams," he began suddenly, talking more to himself than to the others. "And no matter what happens, never forget your Soldier honour."

The baffled group looked on as the blonde warrior ran to the burning exit and launched himself into a full dive. Barret held back Jessie who was going to follow him, the groups' heads bowed as they saw the figure perish in the flames rather than be captured by their nemesis.

"You going to do their work for them?" Cloud's voice suddenly shouted through the fire wall. Shocking everybody on the other side. "The fire is a test; think of it as a measure of your courage. Run fast and dive hard; you might feel some pain, but you won't catch on fire."

The four members on the other side of the blazing exit felt little of the courage that the Soldier had shown to leap through the barrier. Nervous they held back, Jessie's hawk eyes gauged the distance of the enemy to be less than five hundred yards. At the news, Barret roared a battle cry and made his own jump. Cloud watched the figure perform a far from elegant dive, before pitching into a roll upon impact. Besides some minor singes, the man was fine, he grinned and got back to his feet.

"The sucker isn't lyin'! Come on! Just believe!" He shouted back to his comrades.

Seconds later, the smoking form of their hacker Jessie landed on the cobbles of the courtyard, followed by the rough tumble of Biggs. Last to make the leap of faith was Wedge, his fear nearly conquering him. He launched himself into a dive and skidded to a halt in the middle of a semi-circle Avalanche had formed outside the exit.

"Heh! Tough bit is over, bu' don't you lot be getting fearful now. Mission ain't over! Move out, we's gonna meet back at the station; don' miss the train!" Barret yelled and straight away Biggs, Wedge and Jessie split their separate ways from the courtyard.

"Hey!" Cloud protested as Barret made to break away in the shadow of their lead.

"If this' abou' your money, then save it! We'll do all that shit at the hideout!" The tribal warrior announced before rushing off.

Cloud stood alone but refused to be transfixed; somewhere nearby was the unit sent after Avalanche and he had no intention of getting caught now. Not stopping to take in the piles of shrapnel caused by the blast or the fissures in the cobbled square, the Soldier rushed up a nearby iron staircase onto a concrete pathway that split in two directions at a ninety degree fork. Instinct guided him to the left, and soon, he was clear of the escape zone.

* * *

To be outside after facing the damp and tight confines of the sewers felt strange to the man. Though the figure knew that he wasn't truly outside; for a man from the middle continent, this place was far from the great outdoors. There were no natural spires that scraped the sky, in their place were colossal towers formed from metal and glass.

It was those mountains that he called home; magnificent peaks where a man could stand tall and truly feel on top of the world. Barret realised in that moment how empty and disposable the lives of those within Midgar's boundaries were. Every day it seemed they would crawl from their hives, go on the job and then at sunset back into the colony once more. The realisation made him long for those days again; the days where life was peaceful and simple.

He had been away from such a life for seven long years now, but he knew that he couldn't be distracted by this. Tonight Avalanche had crossed the line and declared war; from this day forward all of them would be wanted at all points of the earth. Cautiously, he began to move on, weighing up his options. The station lay to the south and that meant he had a wide choice of avenues that he could exploit.

Barret was disadvantaged in comparison to everyone else; he was black. People of his colour and creed were rare within the eastern lands, which meant if his photo got out to the security personnel, he could not even hope to hide within a crowd. As this dawned on him, the spider web of choices shrunk, as if shrivelling up with age.

Then it hit him; by being dark skinned he had a natural semi-camouflague in a city as dark as Midgar. Swiftly he stepped from the well lit avenues into the many alleyways that ran alongside them. Coolly he disengaged the safety catch on his firearm and began to advance through the hostile shadows. He had an advantage now, and he would not let it get away from him. With the train ready to leave in a further ten minutes, he wasted no time and moved onwards swiftly.

* * *

Jessie desperately fought for calm as she milled in amongst the shocked citizens of the sector. She had to keep her composure, in order for the mission to truly succeed, she had one very important task. The crowd moved along slowly but this helped her instead of hindered her; unlike the others, Jessie did not truly stand out. She was not a bulky woman, nor was she immediately recognisable to those who saw a photo of her.

Shrewdly she'd taken advantage of this, silently slipping through the mass of panicked and confused people that dogged the eighth sector. As she walked off the last lane before the station she took in her surroundings. Down on the right hand side was a road that would lead onto the station and her escape, while the streets around it were all shops, carefully placed to lure in customers who were merely travelling between places.

Alongside the coffee shops and news-stands were modern day blacksmiths; their shop windows adorned with all forms of combat items. Everything from clubs, knives and knuckle dusters; to swords, guns and grenades. She peeled her eyes away from the bizarre juxtaposition and focused instead on the object that she needed.

A minute later she spotted it lying at the corner of a four way intersection. The box was around three metres in height, all four sides formed from glazed perspex. While it granted a view inside and outside of the box, the transparent casing muffled sound from within, protecting the privacy of its user. Jessie swiftly darted inside and lifted the handset, still amazed that the design had remained unaltered in the thirty years since they were installed.

The hacker forced the sensations of nostalgia to the back of her mind as she tore the casing away from the voice box of the phone. Immediately she produced the black bug from her pocket and carefully covered the speaker. Once satisfied that everything was ready, she dialled the number of the external operator, within ten seconds it picked up.

_"Welcome to the Shinra telecommunications line. Please provide your identity card to continue."_ The voice asked soullessly.

Jessie swiped the card through the slot provided. _"Verifying..."_ She waited twenty seconds as the system analysed the pass. _"Confirmed, welcome Jane Horona. Please provide your debit card to continue."_

Jessie swiftly placed the second card in the credit slot, a green light emitted from the crack that surrounded it, she breathed a sigh of relief. _"Thank you for utilising the communications service courtesy of Shinra Inc. The sum of fifty gil has been deducted from your account. Please dial the number you wish to call when ready."_

Jessie entered the number for the central desk of the Shinra tower, suddenly fearful that the line would be jammed with reports of the bombing. Yet, to her astonishment, the pulsing sound of the line rang in her ears two times, meaning it had successfully dialled through to an adviser without placing her in any form of call queue.

"Good evening and thank you for calling the Shinra Corporation. My name is Fetina, may I take your full name please?"

Jessie took a deep breath before responding. "Do not waste time with the usual authentication questions, this is not a call requesting data from my records. My name does not matter, and this call cannot be traced either. As you are probably aware, the reactor in Sector 1 has been damaged in an explosion. This was not an industrial accident, Shinra beware, this is only the beginning. Soon Midgar will become a battlefield, and an Avalanche shall bury all of your corruption."

Instantly she cut the call before the astonished adviser could ask any further questions. The call had been made, and soon the President would be giving his brown nosing message to the world. With her mission complete, Jessie pulled clear the bug and slipped the forged cards into her side pack before dashing on towards the station.

* * *

Cloud knew that with a huge sword on his back, sneaking through crowds would be impossible. Yet conversely, he was neither dark nor inconspicuous enough to slip through the shadows without detection. For him, the options had at first been thin, until he remembered the uniform he wore. While the lay public might not fully understand the position he was posing under, the guards that manned numerous checkpoints might.

It was a shaky gamble, but he knew that to succeed he had to take whatever chances he was given. So he had walked through the centre of the sector in a brisk and purposeful way, his posture oozing authority as he passed early checkpoints with no issues at all. Slowing his pace, he drank in the centre of the sector.

He was stood on a cross roads that was set adjacent to a circular junction. The road coiling around itself and branching off in four directions, at the centre of the concrete island was a fountain that gushed water repeatedly. It was strikingly beautiful; totally removed from most of the dreary buildings and stairwells that adorned the city at every turn.

Yet the buildings were brightened up a little by the presence of ageing posters. One stood out as beautiful ahead of all the others by a long way. Its background was dark, almost jet black. At the front of it was a woman who sported a dark blue dress, yet the garment was ruined; huge slashes forming at random points on the sides and front. It was as if she had been savaged by a panther, to compound the feeling of pain, tears rolled down her pink face. Written all the way down the side of the figure were the words "Bloody Valentine", while underneath her was the word "Loveless", scribed in pink bold lettering.

Cloud was perplexed; the poster and indeed the last word felt familiar to him. He desperately tried to remember where he had heard of it before, knowing that someone in the Shinra had always been speaking lines from it. Though he no longer remember exactly what the lines constituted or how they were delivered. After a minute of silent musing he shrugged it off, only to be brushed harshly by a group of advancing thugs.

Angered he looked on as they darted towards a woman who stood on the corner of a junction. Her pink dress flowed all the way down to her ankles, while brown hair flowed down her back in a long single braid. Under her arm was a wicker basket, filled to the brim with something with different bright colours. Swiftly one of the man ran to attack her, but Cloud did not wait for the blow to land. Grabbing the man's arm from behind he twisted it savagely, the limb snapping like a frozen twig.

The figure squealed in pain and quickly darted away from the lady, his three allies looked at Cloud for one moment. The Soldier smiled cockily at them and instantly the trio turned tail and fled. Not wanting to cross the warrior's path. Cloud strode forward and offered a hand out to the young woman who gratefully accepted, and he pulled her from the floor carefully.

"Thank you for the help." she said, her voice light despite what had just happened. "Say, do you know what's just happened? It felt like an earthquake."

Cloud shook his head. "It's nothing to worry about." Despite the cool and collected exterior, inside he was a wreck. The girl struck him as the inquisitive kind and he had neither the time nor the mindset for twenty questions. Desperate for a quick fix he looked inside her basket and noticed that it was brimming with flowers; he'd noticed that the colours varied greatly; a vast array of differing shades to choose from. "Hey listen," he began casually, "you don't see flowers around these parts often."

The flower seller smiled deeply. "Oh you like flowers?" She asked with a sweet tone in her voice. "Haven't you been to sector five slums of late?" Cloud shook his head, "I have been trying to brighten the slums up with my flowers. Demand up here is just as big, so I thought I'd try my luck. They're only 1 gil, would you like one?"

"I'd be delighted." Cloud responded, jubilant that he might finally get rid of her.

"Oh thank you so much!" She announced as she handed him the single white flower. Immediately afterwards the young girl strolled to the left, pursuing other customers. Cloud took his chance and rushed down the main street, aware that the station would be only a minute or so away.

* * *

Jessie had only waited for a minute or so before the others showed up, minus the former Soldier warrior Cloud. Quickly the remnants of Avalanche had carefully walked away from the central platform and along a line reserved for freight trains. Once beyond the sight of the station guards, they quickly double backed and slid underneath the train,

Jessie led at point, guiding them underneath seven of the eight cars. As she found the access panel she placed the pen sized screwdriver into one of the bolts and removed it skilfully. Repeating the tactic three more times she felt the panel come looser. Barret swiftly pulled back the heavy lever and pushed the panel upwards, allowing the group illegal access to the train's postal carriage. As Wedge and Biggs jumped aboard, Jessie stared back towards the station entrance, before Barret slapped her on the shoulder.

"Forge' him Jessie! We made it clear that you shouldn' be late for the train. It's his own damn fault if he can' follow orders!"

The pair quickly climbed aboard and replaced the panel. Moments later, the train began to clear the station.

* * *

Cloud thought that he had been quick enough, but that was until he gazed up at the huge clock and saw it strike eleven. He didn't know Midgar very well, but was aware that the trains ran precisely on the hour. If that was the case then he'd have to be quick to get to the way back.

With this pressing matter fresh on his mind, the Soldier rounded an alleyway and into a main street without care, only to find himself stopping just short of a road block. Instantly the seven guards all cocked their weapons, while a red suited commander strode forward. Cloud swallowed any mental block he had and focused on being Soldier.

"Why're you in such a hurry?" The commander asked rudely.

"You don't know my uniform?" Cloud bit back aggressively. "I'm Soldier First Class, I don't answer to you! If you knew how to use that radio of yours then you'd be aware that the city has been attacked, we believe it to be Avalanche."

The commander raised an eyebrow. "That's news to me, where'd you get the Intel?"

Cloud squared up to the man. "As I told you a second ago, I'mSoldier First Class, answering directly to Heidegger. A member of Avalanche had the gall to phone our head office and report that an Avalanche would bury the Shinra. Now get out of my way, they might still be in the sector!" Cloud forced his way past and swiftly moved on, leaving the guards in his wake.

Behind him, the lead commander had his finger on his chin, trying to figure out the incident he had just played a part in. Despite the way the Soldier carried himself, something didn't feel right. He began thinking back over the recent meetings that the Shinra guard and Soldier had endured together. Instantly the reason he was unsettled came back to him.

"Didn't you find that odd?" He asked his unit suddenly. "A member of Soldier on the streets chasing such high level terrorists with his face open to the air... Seems fishy to me."

"What do you mean? Sir!" One recruit replied. "He's first class, don't they all do that?"

"Maybe around seven years ago during the Wutai war, but after all the nastiness involving the Genesis incident, Shinra has been strict on uniform protocol."

Another guard nodded frantically. "Not only that sir, but I don't recognise him." The commander silently raised his eyebrow. "I am close friends with a second class, it allows me to get access to the mess hall on floor 49. Up there the Soldier members can walk with their helmets off as they're inside the security firewall."

"And you haven't seen that guy up there before?" The Commander asked.

"No, that blonde hair sticks out worse than a marlboro in a desert." The recruit responded.

"Anyone else heard about this so called phone call?" A mass shaking of heads answered the question. "That punk knows more than he should; open radio traffic and tell everyone to look out for him!"

* * *

Cloud had known as soon as he was past the checkpoint that he had erred badly. Even for a member of Soldier the news would not travel so fast; Jessie would have been careful to make the message take at least one hour to decipher. Revealing that Avalanche had claimed responsibility had instantly outed himself. Running around a corner he found himself facing a three man wall, their rifles aimed straight for him.

"FREEZE!" They shouted at the terrorist.

Cloud quickly dashed forward, his elbow smashing against one man's cheek. Carefully, he wheeled the man around and pulled the guards trigger. His two allies were instantly torn asunder by a storm of bullets. As the men dropped down to the floor Cloud clasped his hands tightly around the man's neck and twisted. The figure dropped without sound.

Immediately the Soldier heard a repeated sound of rifles being set into place, the weapons clicking as the safety disengaged and armed the assault. Turning on his feet Cloud realised that he had been surrounded; the Shinra units had formed a semi-circle from nine men. Their laser sights all pointed at different part of the body but, despite that, Cloud held his sword out in front of him, eyeing the enemy coolly.

"Drop the weapon, get down on your knees and put your hands on your head!" The Commander shouted hoarsely.

Cloud shrugged and listened intently. Behind him there was a concrete bridge, though he did not look down to see what troubled waters laid in wait beneath him. Carefully he took one step back. Ahead of him, the guards followed, knowing that he was fast running out of room. Suddenly, he heard a distant rumbling, looking along the street he saw the spires of sector eight station behind the many buildings of the city.

"I don't have time for this nonsense!" Cloud retorted at the guard. By now the sound of the rumbling had grown akin to that of an earthquake. The Shinra express flashed through towards the bridge they stood upon.

"Enough talk; advance and take him alive!"

Instantly the enemy rushed forwards and Cloud jumped backwards, landing on the rail of the bridge. For a moment the men were confused, until they saw him leap from over the edge.

Three guards darted over to the precipice and watched the terrorist to roll as he landed on the roof of the train. The guards opened fire straight afterwards, their gunfire causing the metal roof of the carriages to ring repeatedly as the slugs collided with them. Atop the train, Cloud rolled to the end and grabbed the lip of the train, before flipping into the gap between two train cars. Painfully, he clung on until the locomotive flashed into a tunnel...

* * *

The four members stood silently within the postal car at the rear of the train. Barret had leaned against some wooden crates, ignoring any splinters that he picked up in the process. Behind him on the right stood the anonymous figure of Biggs. Jessie and Wedge had settled atop some mail sacks on the left hand side of the car.

"Cloud never came. He didn't seem the type to miss his cue," Jessie announced, the words shattered the silence as if they were a hammer upon a mirror.

"Cloud... Wonder if he was killed?" Biggs added thoughtlessly.

"No way!" Barret snapped, "that punk ass ain't going to be killed without me smacking him first!"

"Say Barret, we haven't discussed the money situation."

"Shu' it!" Barret snapped, slamming his fist through a wooden crate. Wedge, who had brought it up, shrunk back and fell into a troubled silence.

Silence fell on the group for a long minute before they suddenly heard a creaking sound. All four figures looked at the other, before they realised it wasn't them. The creaking repeated three times and by now the group had armed themselves; Wedge was knelt down, his eyes trained through the scope of his rifle, while Barret held his Gatling gun menacingly.

Suddenly the grill at the top of the carriage came crashing through and down to the floor. Barret instantly began firing into the hole for five seconds, before he let the weapon cease its motion.

"Keep lookin' through tha' gun of yours Wedge. 'Soon as tha' sucker leans over, shoot 'im!" Barret ordered.

Wedge followed the order until the figure leapt into the gap and down into the centre of the carriage. All of them gasped as they realised that the soot covered figure was none other than the recruit they had feared dead. Cloud dusted himself down as best he could before signalling for everyone to get into hiding. Confused, none of them followed his lead at first, before they finally conceded that he meant it.

For two minutes the group cowered in silence, wondering why Cloud thought they'd needed to duck out of view. When suddenly they heard booted feet storming towards the carriage from the outside.

"Report says that one of them leapt onto the roof of the train." A voice called through the door,

"We get a description?" A second man replied.

"Something about Shinra guards, I am guessing they disguised themselves as members of the militia to sneak through; they could be anyone now."

"We should check out the final car, it's a place where no one goes." The man protested.

"Forget it; you know what the security on those cars are like. There aren't any side doors or windows, and a huge cage is built into the walls and ceiling. There's no way for them to get in there unless we let them on at the last station. And don't get paranoid about them somehow slipping through; they'd require special access that would have flagged on the main Shinra system. If those idiots are on the train then the ID check will trace them. Come on!"

For thirty seconds the group stayed still, listening to the sound of the boots walking away from the door. Wedge gave the all clear after using his scope to scan the next car through a small gap in the door. Immediately Barret grabbed Cloud by the front of his uniform and hoisted him up so that his feet no longer touched the floor.

"Wha' the fuck do ya think you's tryin' to pull?" Barret spat into the warrior's face, "we's had a plan and the whole point wuz to stick with it! Getting us all worried like that for nuthin'! That's a cruel thing, man!"

Cloud eye balled his aggressor. "Worried eh? Now I am surprised; I'd have thought you'd all be gleefully figuring out how much my share would be split between the four of you."

Barret snorted and slammed his head into Cloud's nose, drawing blood. "You nasty piece of shit! You's think that we's all cold blooded like you Soldier bastards? 'Course we wuz fucking worried! As for you, hotshot, I'm takin' this out of your money!"

Red faced with rage, Barret dropped the former Solider and strode to the main door of the postal car. "Heads up! Those goons jus' gave us the all clear, so we's can blow this shitty carriage and grab a proper seat! Move out!" Without looking back, the leader walked free of the car's confines.

Biggs walked in front of Cloud and grinned. "Heh, for a former Soldier you really knew your stuff man, good to have you on board." He quickly followed after Barret.

"It was wonderful to see your efforts sir. Thank you for helping me get out sir." Wedge cut in before lumbering past as best his frame could.

Cloud heard Jessie tapping away on her computer behind him. She nodded her head silently as she went past. He respected this; she knew that he didn't care for the words from her mouth, thus she didn't waste them on him. As she passed him, Cloud got the sense she was looking at him closely. It made him feel slightly annoyed; she had just gone against her own excellent judgement, though he didn't dwell on it, choosing instead to follow the lead of the fellow terrorists.

* * *

The elegant red uniform somehow retained its regal presence as it flowed over the large chest of the figure. At first one would believe that they were looking upon the fabled Father Christmas instead of the President of Midgar, yet his eyes possessed a deep piercing tone that would cut through diamonds. No matter what the exterior suggested, this was a man of dangerous ashes, the Turk leader knew this more than many of the other Shinra employees.

His dark hair was fashioned in a long style, spooling over his shoulders and ending before the small of his back. The royal blue suit glistened as the arc lights of the Presidential suite kissed them delicately. To the right of the man stood a woman in a shade of red that was dark, it was a match for her name. A veil of the same tone concealed her face, but the long blonde hair granted her at least one distinguishing feature on first glance.

"The recording is genuine; they have claimed responsibility." The Turk announced swiftly.

"How long have we had it?" The President retorted.

"No more than thirty minutes, the adviser was very thorough in following the code for hostile conversations."

"What do you think of this? Scarlet?" The President asked the woman that stood in the same office, her red features were heightened as the light reflected underneath her off the chrome floor.

"It is simple, we act!" She repled swiftly, "the recording mentions Midgar becoming a battlefield? Then we give them one, put our best on the streets!"

The Turk nodded silently. "I concur, by having our most elite rankers on the streets we can immediately control the people. Avalanche haven't had a long head start, so if we deploy our men swiftly then we have a chance of stopping them."

"We don't leave things to chance!" The President snorted while slamming his fists against the wooden desk before him. "Get the men out and snare them! And get me a TV crew; I want to make a broadcast to the people."

"Of course sir," the Turk announced respectfully. "I shall get the initial estimates from the ground team and have your PR advisor prepare a speech." Silently the man left the office, and Scarlet began the strike ploy against Avalanche. All the while the President looked on, savouring every second of it.

* * *

Cloud had been surprised once he ventured across the threshold and into the regular commuter car. The postal cabin that Avalanche had holed up within had been so spartan that comfort had been a desire consigned to dust long ago. Yet, here within the regular cars, a long line of plush leather seats ran the length of the window side. With their backs resting against the glass on both sides, it created a nervous stand-off as passengers on each side directly faced one another.

With the arrival of Avalanche, any feeling of hostility that the current occupants had possessed immediately died off. Barret's imposing frame scattered a group of young thugs, their profiles concealed beneath primitive hooded tops. One had attempted to pull a knife on the burly man, who happily rammed his aggressor's face into a long standing pole, smearing it with the victim's blood.

Up ahead two late night commuters darted for the sanctuary of the next carriage, taking with them their greyed pinstripe suits that still emanated an air of early morning commerce on the train, despite it being much nearer to midnight. One of the pair muttered something as he left, though - fortunately for him - it had been well hushed and did not reach Avalanches' ears.

With the thug dispatched, Barret simply sprawled himself out on one of the seats, consuming the space for four people with relish. Ahead of him both Wedge and Biggs stood against a pair of poles, both shunning the vacant spaces on the long benches. While at the long end of the carriage Jessie had plugged her micro-computer into some sort of screen and appeared to be downloading some data.

Cloud began to walk down the centre of the train when he heard rambling from his left. Turning his head, he sucked in the image of the late night drunk that had chosen the train as his bed for the night. The man looked like he had been dragged through a hedge backwards; the beige suit he wore at least ten years old, and bore countless patches where the man had valiantly attempted his own tailoring to cure the mess. At the figures side was an empty bottle that filled the air with a stale stench. Cloud shook his head before walking him.

For some reason he felt uncomfortable as he walked through the middle; he couldn't say that he was really that interested in any of the group, yet he had no desire to share a bench with the drunk that continued to moan at the back of the carriage. So he had walked all the way along the ancient wooden vehicle until he found himself standing behind Jessie.

"What you up to?" He asked conversationally, praying that she would begin some long speech that he could pretend to pay attention to. It worked beautifully.

"I'm altering our identities so that we have no trouble as we pass through the red mist on the outside of the sector." She began cryptically. "Naturally, we don't want to flag our true details up on the Shinra military scanners, so I've been creating some false ones. Now I'm just syncing them into the system, while at the same time I'm downloading the latest version of the Midgar map."

Cloud raised an eyebrow in bewilderment. "Of course, I forgot that Midgar's constantly changing."

Despite the insult, Jessie giggled. "If I was only interested in being a tourist then you'd be right, nothing new to see there. But for our line of work we need to constantly know where our boundaries are, so that we can exploit them before blowing the whole place to smithereens." She added with a wink.

As she spoke, the carriage sound system emitted an ear splitting screeching sound, and the lights formed a wall of ruby red. "Here we go; once the lights go out, the Shinra start scanning everyone on the train. Cross referencing us with every criminal database that they have, but they won't find us; their security is way too lax to keep our details up to date." She giggled before turning her attention back to the tiny terminal that sat in her palm.

Cloud decided he'd endured enough and turned from the young hacker, choosing to walk back towards the centre of the carriage. As he walked, Cloud found his gaze locked on the horizon outside the window. The train had begun its final stretch into Sector Seven, a colossal stone support pillar stretched from behind a horizon of shanty huts. The rectangular structure towering above the settlements and ground into place under the circular upper tier. The train followed the tracks around it, their movements circular too.

"Enough to give ya the chills ain't it?" Barret piped in suddenly. Cloud realized the big brute had been watching him the entire time. "Jus' look at it. That damn' thing just sits there, taking the piss out of everyone below."

Cloud strode closer to the window and looked further to the discs. "It's strange to look upon a floating city. It unnerves me somewhat, but then again everyone probably finds that unsettling." He announced suddenly, causing the shocked Barret to leap to his feet.

"You wha'?" He spat out in surprise, "tha's the last thing I expected you to say. You's jus' full o' surprises ain't ya?"

Cloud nodded at the question and Barret suddenly raised his fist in the air. "Yeah, tha's the source of our problem! Everyone just keeps on shitting on people; you saw all them losers up top. They all had this fake smile, non' o' them really appeared at home you know? Thanks to that fucking pizza we ain't got no day or night, and the city is jus' full o' polluted air." The figure ranted venomously.

"Well if life is so much better up there, why doesn't everyone just up sticks and leave? It's not like jobs would be a problem with a company like Shinra in control." Cloud suggested with a verbal shrug.

Barret returned the gesture physically. "I don' ge' it neither. Suppose they mightn't be able ta afford it," suddenly he slammed his fists together. "Or you know what? They might choose to stay in the slums because they love their city. And they ain't afraid to stand and fight for their home!"

Cloud nodded. "I understand what you mean, no one really chooses to live in the slums. Yhey do it because they have to. It's like this train. It can't go anywhere except where the rails take it."

As the conversation died, silence peacefully fell upon the warriors, as the train thundered along the track towards the final destination.

* * *

As the guard's whistle blew for the fifth time, Avalanche descended from the train, determined to be amongst the last that left the vehicle. Cloud strolled onto what passed for the platform and felt all the descriptions of the slums come to him at once. The platform was cracked all along it, almost as if the whole structure was about to sink and be swallowed by the earth,

But this was not the most striking image; to his left, Cloud saw the remnants of what had once been a train depot. The long snaking rail lines had shattered and splintered. While all around it the broken and discarded carriages had been allowed to stack up on themselves. The locals referred to it as the fabled Train Graveyard. Now that he was this close, Cloud could see why.

"All you fools gather in!" Barret shouted suddenly. Instantly the group huddled together, away from prying ears. "Tha's it boys and girls, mission accomplished! One less leech to go sucking the planet's life away! Bu' don' all you lot start running scared because of that explosion! The next one's gonna be even bigger; Shinra's goin' down!"

Everyone but Cloud cheered the declaration of intent.

"Move out!" Barret announced breaking away from the other members. "Rendezvous at the hideout!"

Moments later, Cloud found himself alone. Slowly he began the walk towards the centre of the town, not really knowing what he should be looking out for, though he knew that it might be an ugly stroll due to the reputation Sector Seven had. If Midgar was some advert to the world of an efficient self-governed future, then Sector Seven was its preserved nostalgia of past anarchy.

People affectionately called this place 'The lunatics' binge'; it was a sector that worshipped all the chaos of a drunken night on the tiles. Alcohol was sold far more freely within this centre than any other part of Midgar, from the delicate spiced wines that merchants sold from their carts, to the alcohol pumps shaped like those found in a gas station, which sloshed forth potent whiskeys for a set price.

Cloud watched all the people that swilled in the filth of the seventh sector. Shinra guards, suit sporting members of the office and punks, all of them slammed their glasses together and sung rousing drinking songs. From so far back he could not hear the words, though judging by the state of the people, he doubted they'd know what they sang either.

The ex-Soldier turned around and looked at the sight of the access gate to the support pillar for the Seventh Sector. As he looked up at the distant upper tier, Cloud understood what Barret meant by what he said on the train; in a sense it was similar to when a solar eclipse occurred, with the upper plate serving as the moon between the city and sun.

Slowly the figure turned back from the edge of the station and walked towards the core of the village. Along the way he heard of people going on about the legendary bar that served only the best alcohol; a joint known affectionately as 'Seventh Heaven'. Ignoring the drunkards that clamoured for beer and violence, Cloud continued to wonder where the other members had gone. Naturally Barret had not trusted him at first and insisted that they meet besides a random beer pump. As rough as the group appeared to be, a hideout beneath an alcohol pump seemed somewhat unrealistic.

As the crowd squeezed together, Cloud lost all patience and began swinging his elbows around viscously. Two drunkards were cracked hard in the temples, knocking them from their feet and causing the crowd to trip and fall at random. Others felt the mercenary's joints smash against their ribs and lungs, causing them to stagger worse than after imbibing litres of potent alcohol.

Eventually he wound up at the front of the crowd, and looked straight into the eyes of Barret. He was stood at the top of some wooden stairs, a small set that were only five steps high. Behind him were a set of wooden swinging doors that reminded Cloud of an ancient movie where a stranger would walk inside, to find that everything stopped and went dead silent, before some shoot-out began.

"This i' the last time I'm gonna say it! Clear off! Bar's closed for tha night!" Barret raged at the crowd. One figure angrily ran up the stairs to try and force his way through. The drunkard soon realised his mistake, as Barret's left fist crashed against his chin. The blow lifted the man from his feet and he bounced down the stairs, his head snapped one step in half and became ensnared as a result.

At this point trying to force entry became very unpopular and the crowd wisely dispersed, back towards the pumps and merchant wagons. Cloud strode forward and Barret nodded for him to walk towards the doors.

"Jus' go on ahead." The figure began, "I'm gonna wait for these losers to get out of here before joining everyone. For now jus' pull up a stool and have a drink!" Cloud accepted the invitation without a further word.

* * *

As the Soldier walked into the bar he drank in the old fashioned styling of it. In the left corner was a long wooden bar that easily reached the height of his upper chest. Huge wooden stools sat alongside it, while behind the bar were numerous bottles and pumps to serve the regulars their favourite tipples.

Away from the bar, Cloud felt the comradeship that hung in the air. Biggs, Wedge and Jessie all sat at the same circular table. Three shots stood empty with tiny droplets of clear alcohol staining the outside. On a platter in the middle was a peculiar mix of salt and lemons; Cloud had no idea why anyone would want that with their drink, though a large bottle sat nestled in a deep metal bucket, surrounded by ice cubes.

He took a walk forward and was about to look at the games machines stacked up on the right hand side of the bar when he suddenly heard a scream. Looking down he noticed a young girl wearing a pink dress quivering in front of him. Her brown hair was style so that it ended at the same length as her chin.

"Marlene that's no way to behave around a customer!" A sudden voice cut in; instantly Cloud's heart skipped a beat. The woman was everything that he remembered; her white tank top was cut close to her body, emphasising her curved, but not huge breasts. While a peculiar network of leather straps, steel rings and belts joined it to a short black leather skirt that exposed most of her legs to the air. Her black hair hung long, stopping just short of the waist, while a pair of black gloves adorned her hands.

"Err... Thank you." Cloud responded.

Tifa smiled at him. "I'm sorry Cloud, Marlene isn't very good around strangers, especially so late. Did Barret and you get into a fight at all?"

Cloud shook his head. "Not really, he head butted me at one point, but that's about it. Nothing serious."

She snorted and placed one hand on her hips. "That's typical of him; I think the testosterone goes to his brain sometimes..." Her eyes suddenly darted to side pack on his left shoulder. "Oh Cloud! Is that a flower? They are so beautiful, I wish... Oh but Cloud, you didn't have to."

A wry smile touched his lips. "Oh it's ok Tifa, no big deal, here, have it."

Her red eyes widened in delight. "Thank you Cloud! It's really stunning, maybe I should fill the bar with flowers? Put some colour in the place?"

Cloud nodded. "It sounds good; might get some people who know their name through the doors once in a while." Tifa giggled furiously and Cloud back towards the doors, choosing to sit himself on top of a separate table.

Suddenly the flapping doors opened furiously and Barret stormed on through. Cloud was shocked when the young girl suddenly screamed his name and ran straight towards him. The burly man crouched down on one knee and Cloud watched as she leapt into his arms. Barret showed startling affection for the child, delicately rubbing his stubble against her cheeks, before letting her sit on his left shoulder.

"How are you feeling? Mission go well?" Tifa asked him quickly.

"Great!" He announced with a deafening bellow. "We attacked and blew shit up; those Shinra bastards are gonna be brickin' it knowin' we's out there takin' it to 'em!"

Cloud almost chuckled at the man's speech, though he appreciated the enthusiasm. Most people would rather follow a charismatic leader to certain death then follow a soulless man to eternal victory. Cloud didn't understand the logic; victory was victory. It didn't matter how many tricks you pulled to win it.

"Heads up fools! We's startin' the meeting!" Barret announced, before he walked to an inconspicuous pinball machine. Though the machine showed an unexpected trick when he hit a concealed button to take the gaming terminal down to a concealed cellar in the same manner as a lift. Cloud watched the other three all jump down into the space, before the pinball machine reappeared, as if it had never even moved.

Yet as he made to follow the others, he was surprised as Tifa called him over. She was stood behind the bar, carefully drying out a large tumbler glass. Calmly the Soldier walked over and sat himself atop a high stool. To his surprise, his feet no longer touched the floor.

"Want something to drink? We've got a reason to celebrate after all." Tifa asked swiftly. At first he didn't know what to say, he couldn't remember the last time he had taken a drink. But he figured that it was harmless and Tifa was right; they did have an excuse at least.

"Give me something hard," the figure replied quickly. Instantly Tifa grabbed four bottles, their contents varying colours. But before he could guess what she had been pouring or how much, Cloud felt the thick glass slide against his right palm that had been resting on the wooden bar. Nervously he took a deep breath before he raised the glass and downed the contents in one slug. A feeling of fire ripped at his throat and he wheezed at the intensity of the cocktail she had prepared him. "By god! What the hell was that?" He asked in between wheezes.

Tifa smiled. "A special brew I developed last year; one the locals call 'Lucifer's Inferno'. I had this really nasty customer that kept pulling knives on the other people. Barret was on some mission so no one else was around, so I thought the best way to get rid of him would be to concoct something that blew his brains out. It worked, but next day everyone wanted to try it. I only serve it once to a customer in a night though, anyone who objects gets kicked out."

Cloud smiled. "Having tasted it, I can see why! Jeez three of those and you'd be unconscious for a month!"

Tifa grinned at him. "Want to try that theory?"

Cloud shook his head violently. "Oh no! I have that meeting to attend to, but thanks for the fire; it might keep me awake through any speeches."

"Hey Cloud," she added, suddenly sounding nervous. "Take care of yourself ok?"

Cloud shrugged. "Sure, but why are you so worried? The mission was easy and I'm getting paid! I'll catch you later." Without a further word, he strode away and activated the hidden lift, ready to join the briefing.

The room below the bar had been everything Cloud had expected. It was a small room that could have been no more than eight metres square, but despite this, Avalanche had outfitted it out rather well. Jessie was sat at a workbench with three micro-computers all dialled into one device. He presumed that she was working on yet another bomb for them to exploit.

To her left sat Biggs and Wedge, both cleaning down their weapons. The bulky sniper showing extreme care with the barrel and ammunition mechanisms; it made Cloud respect the guy. Obviously he wasn't as immediately courageous as the others, but he had turned that to his advantage. It wasn't an easy thing to achieve.

In the far corner, Barret had stripped himself to the waist and began to repeatedly punch a colossal punch bag. The young girl sat on top of a pile of tatami mats to the side, cheering him on constantly.

With nothing left to do, Cloud sat on a leather couch with his eyes locked onto the television screen. The image was of a large dais that featured numerous microphones. The digital clock in the bottom corner of the screen made him realise that this was some form of news bulletin. Suddenly, unannounced, a figure stepped up and onto the dais. The man was very large, his chest easily being as wide as Barret's. But unlike the gunman, this figure was short and merely very fat. He wore a red suit that had numerous medals upon it, though this was no general, Cloud realised that he was looking upon someone much more important.

"Hey everyone!" He called quickly, "President Shinra is on the TV; probably about to give some sort of speech."

As soon as the words left his mouth, Cloud felt himself being cramped up in the seat, while Barret stood behind them, a white towel soaking up the sweat that seeped from his neck. On screen the man dramatically clasped his palms behind his back and stared at the heart of the camera, as if locking gaze with them directly.

_"Citizens of Midgar, I regret to report that just one hour ago the reactor in Sector 1 was victim of a direct attack. An anonymous phone call was recieved precisely ten minutes later, and our analysts have confirmed that the recording is Avalanche claiming responsibility for the bombing. These terrorists have taken the lives of at least two hundred people this evening and I will not allow them to place any more of you in danger. As such the limited Freedom Of Movement act has been repelled for the remainder of this evening and Soldier are now on the streets. Should they ask you for identification then please co-operate fully. Together, my citizens, we can capture these callous murderers and bring them to justice!"_

As the broadcast cut out Barret growled and picked up a nearby beer can, despite the item being full he crushed it easily, spilling the contents all over the floor of the secret room.

"Yeah right! Protect the citizens, jus' a load of shit!" He ranted brashly. "Still Cloud, were any of Soldier there today?"

Cloud rose to his feet and shook his head. "None, I'm positive."

Barret took a heavy swing at the bag, causing it to crash into the wall. "You sound pretty sure."

"I am sure." Cloud bit back sharply, "if they had been there, we wouldn't have gotten back alive. Soldier are the elite and even my presence wouldn't call them off."

"Hey don' beat you'self up cuz you wuz once in Soldier." Barret began suddenly, Cloud silently ignored him. "Yeah you's strong man, probably all you guys in Soldier are. Bu' don' be getting no idea 'bout clinging onto them; you' ass works for Avalanche now!"

The words pushed him over the edge. "Staying with the Shinra? Is that what you think this is about?" Cloud took two steps towards the chuckling Barret, who stopped when he saw Cloud staring straight at him. "Now I'm going back upstairs, I want to talk about my money!"

The mercenary ignored the renewed laughing, callously he walked down the centre of the three Avalanche members, and they all parted for him. Only for him to find that he was looking straight at Tifa who had somehow appeared silently.

"Cloud! Please, wait just a minute," she began.

"Let him go Tifa, punk still wants to work for Shinra." Barret added.

"Shut up!" Cloud yelled back. "I don't care about neither Shinra or about Soldier." The bitter man stepped onto the concealed elevator once again. "But get me wrong, Tifa, that doesn't mean I care for Avalanche or the Planet either." Not waiting for them to say anything else, Cloud kicked the machine and it swiftly rose back to the bar.

* * *

Fury coursed through him like hot mercury as he stepped from the edge of the pinball machine. How dare that idiot think that of him? What kind of organisation would allow one of its own people to pull off such an assault to further some form of deep cover? The supposed leader was stupid beyond words, and Cloud's patience had gone. Despite the errors and juvenile preparation they had made the attack stick. But he doubted they'd keep it up forever.

But, as his palm began to part the doors of the bar, he heard the grinding of gears behind him. Cloud realised that the lift was coming back up. Taking a deep breath he turned back around to see Tifa stood with her hands on her hips. The beautiful face appeared flushed with anger, though she did not show it when spoke.

"Cloud listen; Barret's a loose cannon, he thinks before he speaks. You were a key part of that mission Cloud; you should be proud of your work. We certainly are. People like you are needed. Everyday you see this world beginning to slide into nothing, slowly it's dying. Please, join us; we can stop this."

Cloud chuckled. "You want to save the world? Heal all the people within it? You must believe in miracles, which is your prerogative. But I sure as hell don't; if you want some knights in armour to cure the world, then let Barret and his friends do it. It sure as hell isn't my problem." He seethed before turning for the door again.

"So you're just going to walk away again? Turn your back on your childhood friend like all those years ago?" She countered cuttingly.

"What?" Cloud protested as he turned back to her. "How can you say that?"

She shook her head, disappointed. "Did you forget your promise too?" She asked pleadingly.

Cloud suddenly felt nervous, his face drained of blood as he wondered what she meant. "Promise?" He added while shaking, the only words he could form.

"So you _did_ forget!" Tifa screamed. "Cloud, think hard for me. Seven years ago we made a pledge to each other, under a starry night sky."

Cloud stood back from her, his mind focused and concentrated. As the Mako energy began to be mined, some of the energy was released into the air. Mostly it caused few problems, but it also caused untold enhancements to the human condition. Many scientists had suggested that brain had latent areas that most people could not touch.

One urban myth before the millennium had been the belief in psychic energy and mind control. But after exposure to the Mako, people began reporting being able to share their memories like it was some video feed. At first people were alarmed, but as the cases grew more and more common; panic died down, and everyone just got on with their lives.

Cloud felt the images race back into his mind and he closed his eyes, the retinas no longer scanning the reality of the bar, but the psychic field in his mind. Once he was sure that they were both in alignment, Cloud freed his palms and felt darkness wash over the scene, before a small globe of light appeared and devoured them both.

* * *

Cloud and Tifa awoke to find themselves far from the industrialised metropolis. Instead they were a pair of unnoticeable silhouettes within a quite and old fashioned village. Six buildings formed a semi-circle, with a central square in between, complete with its own well. The wooden structure was around fifteen feet high, with numerous windmills and pipelines flowing from it.

"Look Cloud, the well, surely you remember?" She pleaded again.

For a long moment it looked like he didn't, before he nodded silently. "Yeah Tifa, I was fourteen and asked you out to the well as I wanted to tell you something important..." The pair faded and watched as an alternate version of Cloud's younger self appeared. He was sat with his legs hanging over a wooden ledge of the well, some ten feet off the ground. Everything about him matched the look he sported now, same biker spiked hair, only difference was that he wore a white shirt over a pair of blued jeans.

For five minutes he sat alone, throwing rocks at the dusty ground below. When suddenly she appeared, Tifa's younger self was a lot more quaint. She wore a turquoise dress that ended at her ankles, while the hair had been styled in an exotic curled fashion.

"Sorry that I'm late," the young girl announced swiftly. "I haven't kept you long right? What is it you wanted to talk about?" She asked swiftly.

"Come spring, I'm leaving this town, Tifa. I'll be gunning for Midgar." He replied swiftly.

Tifa sighed. "All the boys are leaving our town, all chasing the same dream."

"Not me!" The young boy yelped enthusiastically. "They all just wanna work in some dead end job! I am doing something differently." Cloud desperately tried to impress her with an athletic squat. "I am going to join Soldier; I want to be the biggest hero there is, just like Sephiroth." He announced before scaling the rest of the well. Standing precariously on the edge of the deep tank that formed its core.

"Sephiroth, the great Sephiroth? Won't that be hard?" Tifa asked.

Cloud nodded. "It'll be tough, but I can do it! I am sure of that!"

Tifa nodded. "Let your heart guide you, but before you go let's make a promise."

Cloud looked in sudden bewilderment. "What?"

"You know a promise between friends for when they split up for a while? Um... How about this? If I ever get in a jam, you come running to my rescue, be my knight in shining armour."

Cloud stared at her more intently. "You what?"

"I want to know that out there, if I ever need him, my knight will come and rescue me. I want to experience that once in my life."

Cloud slunked down, hands on his forehead. "What in..." He began.

"Oh come on! Promise me!" Tifa cut in, craning her neck so that he looked directly at her.

Reluctantly he nodded at here. "Ok Tifa, I promise, when you need me, I'll come running." As the words were spoken a shooting star flew across the sky, and the image faded...

* * *

"You see Cloud? I need you." Tifa asked coyly.

Cloud shook his head. "But I didn't become the big hero, mention Sephiroth and everyone knows him. Mention Cloud Strife, people'll think you're on drugs! You understand don't you? I can't keep the promise."

"But you made Soldier right?" Tifa countered, "you achieved the big part of the dream. So come on! You've got to keep your promise."

The pair stared at each other before they were disturbed by the sound of climbing. Cloud looked beyond his childhood friend and was astonished to see Barret climbing up the elevator shaft by hand. With athleticism Cloud would never have credited him for, the man completed the climb and stepped into the bar area.

"Now hold on a second Soldier boy." Barret began suddenly, "all this talk o' promises, well here, a promise is a promise. You joined us and worked hard, got us outta some big jams, we thank you big time. I know this ain't much, but consider it your pay!" Barret announced as he tossed a small canvas purse to Cloud's feet. The young Soldier picked it up and realised it cointained around 1500 Gil. It wasn't a big fee, but it was something.

"You want me to stay on?" Cloud asked quickly, "then let's negotiate, I want 3000!"

"You what!" Barret shouted in disgust. "You wanna double your pay jus' like that! Who in fuck d'ay think you are?" He seethed, at the former Soldier, who simply shrugged his shoulders silently.

Tifa quickly carted the warrior further back into the bar, out of earshot. The pair debated briefly, each throwing point and counter point at one another before they finally nodded their heads. "2000! Tha's as high as I go! The money ain't jus' for bombs ya know?" Barret offered.

Cloud nodded silently. "We have a deal, now, let's get some sleep. Judging by tonight we'll be busy in the coming days." Silently the group went into the hideout after shutting up the shop and bedded down for what little sleep they could get.


	3. Striking Distance

Chapter 3: - Striking Distance

Cloud awoke to another new day; due to the upper plate the slums did not have a natural shift between night and day. Instead the citizens were awakened by a chiming alarm to signal the sunrise, a methodical if featureless replacement. Shaking his head lightly, the mercenary felt his mind click into gear properly. For six days the terrorists had stayed below ground, keeping their profile as low as they could.

This had meant blending into the madness of sector seven, a feat that Cloud had done easily, to the shock of everyone else. Whether it was constant slugging of Tifa's hellish cocktail, or challenges involving arm wrestling, he held his own. Though Barret naturally had everyone down when it came to the wrestling.

Out on the streets Soldier had prowled repeatedly, three times Avalanche had been forced to abandon the bar and go dark, hidden in the secret base. Tifa, Cloud realised, was the perfect cover story. The arrogant Shinra warriors had occupied the bar, asking repeatedly if there was anyone crazy enough in this sector to go against the Shinra. She had caused untold laughter when she told them everyone in sector seven was crazy.

All this time, Jessie had kept herself busy, hacking into the main server and watching all the activity in the reactors. Having had one destroyed, Shinra had immediately upped the security at all bar one. After three days of normal activity being registered, she had downloaded the plans, though Barret refused her permission to discuss it until they were underway. Cloud guessed that the man was still suspicious of him.

This morning was different though; as he looked around the secret base he found that no one else was waiting with him. Coolly he picked his sword up from the floor and placed it in the magnetic field on his back. Confidently he strode up to the waiting pinball elevator and ascended towards the main bar once again.

At the top he had been shocked when the young girl Marlene ran past him and descended the elevator; seconds later it returned and thick metal clasps held it in place. To his right he saw Tifa standing at a small bar table, while Barret was stood at the main doors, turning down all the morning custom.

"What's with Marlene?" Cloud asked Tifa swiftly.

"No one will be here to look after her, so we're securing the bar, keeping her safe."

Cloud raised an eyebrow. "No one? How's that work when you own the place?"

Tifa chuckled. "You didn't know? I am coming this time."

Cloud gasped. "You what? It is too dangerous Tifa, we can't put you in danger."

The woman rolled her eyes and levelled her fists. "Attack me." She commanded suddenly.

"What?" Cloud asked, stunned by the question.

"I said attack me you imbecile!" Tifa yelled back.

Cloud thought about it for a moment, before he realised that she obviously wanted to show whatever skills she had. The team didn't have time for this fooling around, yet her determined gaze was locked upon him, her blood red eyes staring through his very soul. Nodding slowly he raised his sword and rushed at her.

He aimed a slash towards her head, deliberately pulled as not to kill her. Yet he needn't have bothered, Tifa simply stepped outside the attack and crashed her elbow into his temple. Cloud staggered with the impact of the blow, stars rolling over his eyes. Suddenly he felt her booted foot crash against his chin. Cloud flew backwards and shattered a wooden table as he went through it. Groggily he looked up at his assailant, stood with her left leg perpendicular, while the right one hung at a fifty degree angle from the kick she had used.

"More than meets the eye." She casually announced, before dropping the right foot and offering him her hand, Cloud accepted it and got to his feet. "I won't bore you with all the stuff I know, but I can easily hold my own."

Cloud nodded. "One on one I can see that, in a group you might get stuck. But you've made your point, so we'll cross that bridge when we come to it."

Slowly he walked away from his friend towards Barret; behind him she began to tap numerous buttons and swiftly thick roller shutters descended over the bar area and windows. She hit another and a shutter went down the door, stopping barely three inches from the ground.

"Tight security." Cloud intoned as he saw the lock up begin, "what's the target this time?" Cloud asked.

"We's outta time so we's gonna go over that on the train! It leaves in ten minutes so we get on board and sort it there. Jessie knows everythin'."

Cloud nodded. "If that's how you want it, where's everyone else?"

Barret pointed out into the sector. "They's gone on ahead, we don' want Shinra seein' that a large group is on the move again."

"Makes sense, but what about Soldier? Their patrols have practically locked the sector down." Cloud cut in.

"Why's we been holed up for a week?" Barret countered, "we's not gonna risk gettin' caught by them, so Jessie tol' us all to lay low until it disappeared. Soldier are gonna be busy elsewhere now, this's our best chance, so let's go!" He roared. Instantly Tifa appeared by his side, and Cloud led the trio into the sector once again.

* * *

Out on the streets Cloud took in the sight of cracks within the walls of a shabbier house. He was perplexed by this; he hadn't noticed it during the past week. The crack was not something he could overlook, being as long as the gable edge of the house. It almost appeared like it were sinking into the earth around it.

"You slept right through it." Tifa cut in suddenly. "Around two in the morning, after the reactor went down, there was an earthquake. God knows how you were able to not be moved by it; the whole bar shook."

Cloud's eyes widened. "It was that serious?" He questioned.

Tifa shook her head. "Not really; nothing was broken, but these buildings were made from scratch, so it's easy for someone to get it wrong."

"We's not a bunch o' estate agents! So shu' up, the pair of ya!" Barret roared.

Cloud rolled his eyes. "And here's me thinking it might be useful to know if an earthquake can be caused by the events on the upper plate." He leant in suddenly and whispered into the man's ear. "Knowing how to escape an earthquake might be useful, huh?"

"Tha's not for us to worry about! Now le's ge' a move on!" Swiftly the burly man led point towards the edge of the sector.

As the trio got to the edge of the central square, they passed a large group of people that appeared to be going through some farewell. A single man stood in front of them, sporting a blue suit and red hair. The figure twittered on about meetings and partings. Cloud found it an amusing happenstance, one man leaves for a better life while everyone else carries on regardless, in exactly the same way as they had once the bomb had gone off. Shrugging off the thought, the group moved on towards the train.

* * *

The office was luxurious; it had a plush set of leather chairs that were set into walls at their corners, forming an L-shaped couch that had three cushions in both sides of the corner. At the centre was a circular table on which sat a large telephone, while at the front of the room a large screen projected numerous images of a pasture that had been overgrown by curled white trees.

The black suited figures were seated on the corner couch, neither putting their eyes on the images; they had seen it all before. Standing before the screen, holding a laser pen like a knife, was their superior commander.

"Gentlemen, this mission has been handed down from the President himself. As we all know, last week the main reactor was bombed. A full account of the losses will be conducted later." The man began.

"We aren't accountants,"one of the figures replied, his dark face menacing.

"No, but we _are_ always responsible for cleaning up any incident involving Shinra personnel. We all thought the Genesis files were closed, but unfortunately, last week's event has reopened them." He shone the laser at an arrow on the wall and the picture shifted, revealing the image of Avalanche escaping the reactor.

"They're the terrorists? How could we miss them?" The other figure asked suddenly.

"We didn't; had the President put us in the loop we could have not only arrested them but stopped this investigation ever starting." As the puzzled men looked on he shone the laser again, zooming the image in closer.

"Say, at the back, is that who I think it is?"

"Exactly Reno; that is the subject Cloud Strife, reported to the President as dead one month ago. Naturally if this person is recognised by those outside of Shinra, the whole incident could blow up in our faces. The Genesis files were closed and his existence threatens them being fully reopened."

"Are we to kill him?"

"That's what some people would want, but this gives us hope. If he's captured then we could see what he has revealed and also if he has any of the files that were reported missing. So it's simple; find them, get out into the underground and listen for any reports of anti-Shinra insurgence. That's how we will find them."

"If the guy has been so cautious," the man called Reno began, "then he'll avoid such traps surely?"

"He has wandered into the heart of our authority and is allied with a group who have launched audacious assaults on us. Somewhere they will mess up; it'll be two birds with one stone, now get on with it!"

The pair left the office silently, leaving the commander to listen to the sound of the rain clashing with the windows of the tower.

* * *

Cloud's eyes were captivated by the structure of the train as he walked into the station. He regarded the front and could only compare it to a bullet; the front curving perfectly for maximum airflow, the kind that would enable a rifled bullet to fly through the air at a speed in excess of five hundred miles an hour. Behind it were five carriages, all of which possessed the same long row of seats that were set against the windows.

Barret swiftly ran ahead and onto the carriage nearest the rear of the train. Instantly he snarled and ripped a seat cushion from the long row and hurled it through the air, where it was aimed straight at the three other members of the group that were simply milling around, not caring for any attention that they drew to themselves. At the last second, Biggs managed to duck away and the cushion collided harmlessly with the guard rail that he had leaned against.

"Yo foo's! This don' look like a private car! So ge' your asses outta my sight!" He barked loudly, which drew even more attention to him than Biggs, Wedge or Jessie could ever hope to acquire. At the sound of his booming voice, they winced as they high-tailed it into the next car.

Huffing like an intimidating bull, Barret walked towards the door the others had fled through, checking to make sure that none of the security bots or personnel had spotted them. Instead, he caught sight of a commuter sitting near the door, his arms folded across his chest in an arrogant stance. His gaze was directed at the ceiling. For the most part, he went ignored, that was until he over heard the man muttering barely coherently about hoodlums.

"You say sumthin'?" Barret asked without looking at the man. He heard an audible gulp and realised that the figure had heard the question. "I said, you say sumthin'?"

Once again the question got no reply and any sense of calm Barret had, was gone. Instantly he turned around and looked at his target. The man was in a plush red suit, the three buttons of the jacket done up, concealing the white shirt and black tie combo. The man had gold bracelets and watches dripping from his wrists, the man gave off the sign of being loaded.

"Wud you look at tha'," he began mockingly, "this place got all empty allova sudden. Wha' you say about us?" Barret announced while placing his brow barely an inch from that of the commuter.

"Damn!" The man replied, as he slammed his head into the backrest, the whole of his body shaking suddenly. "It got empty because of scum like you."

Barret snorted and punched the man full in the face with his normal hand. He smiled as the nose exploded and blood gushed out, staining the precious materials that had no doubt been fresh dry cleaned to impress whoever was next on his brown nosing list.

"It jus' hit me," he grinned at the pun, "all this gold and flash suits; that's gotta mean you's loaded. Maybe even someone important." Barret's expression darkened as he came to the obvious conclusion. "You workin' for Shinra?" Barret asked menacingly.

The man bowed his head again. "I will _not_ give into terrorists! Whether it's about the work I do or my seat on the train!"

Barret smiled and disengaged the safety on his gun arm.

"Barret no!" Tifa shrieked from the back of the carriage.

"Lucky piece of shit!" Barret spat at the man. "You's a lucky man; someone's lookin' out for ya, so don' let 'em down." He finished mockingly before walking back to his two comrades.

Cloud kept his face neutral; he was more than a little angry at what he had witnessed. Now was not the time to blast out the so-called leader, however. "What's the mission this time?" He asked instead.

"Shit! Wha' the hell you so calm abou'? You's messing up my rhythm, punk!" Barret shouted back.

Cloud gestured with his right hand towards the floor. "Do you come with volume control? Attacking a commuter is one thing, but talking loudly about the mission is going to kill any lead we have! As for messing up your rhythm, well I don't really care. You said we'd have a briefing before the mission; either start with it, or I walk off this train."

The burly man snarled before nodding his head. "Fine. Have it your way. We's gonna take out the sector five reactor, bu' before tha' we's gotta get off the train."

Cloud raised an eyebrow. "And what was wrong with our escape last time? It was concealed enough and caused no casualties."

"Jessie has been scanning everything," Tifa cut in suddenly. "She's been monitoring how Soldier carries out their checks. Well one thing they've done is they've gone over all the train records since that's the last place you were spotted. Unfortunately, they found something."

"What?" Cloud asked.

"Jessie talked about some mumbjo jumbo," Barret muttered, "sumthin' abou' her tag or signature. Not got a clue what she meant!"

Cloud nodded in understanding. "I do. Whenever something is created on a computer, a mark of the process is left behind. No matter how skilled your hacker is, there'll always be something that makes it unique. They probably found something that'll come up with a similar ID, allowing them to spot us like a dot on a domino."

"Either way the passes don' work, so we's gotta get off early. Jessie said five minutes after the train leaves that red shit will descend again, so we leave after three." Barret announced before slumping down onto a seat.

Cloud stood silently in the middle of the car; just like last time, they seemed to be coming up with last minute plans that could be botched in seconds. He didn't like the idea of diving off the train before a checkpoint, and he liked the thought of Shinra cracking down on their intrusion even less. The Shinra would want them to attack; would want them to get close enough with their best effort. The flaw in that plan was that Cloud was expecting to see their best.

Suddenly the group heard the sound of the heavy buffers being locked together, followed by an ear splitting whistle courtesy of the station guard. Instantly the engines started up and they all felt the rails begin to rattle underneath them; a sign that the journey was to begin.

Tifa clicked a button on her wrist. "Countdown." She answered cryptically.

"Three minutes and we's getting offa this train!" Barret called before slumping down again. By now the train had gathered speed and rocketed towards the tunnel at the edge of the sector. Cloud stood against a sturdy rail and collected his thoughts. For better or worse, the mission was under way. Whatever happened now would happen, all he could do was keep his sword arm loose.

"Cloud!" Tifa called from the end of the carriage, he looked up to see her stood in front of the monitor that Jessie had clamoured around. "Come and look at the monitor with me!"

Calmly he strode over; little else was in mind to occupy the trip. As he slid behind her, Tifa giggle suddenly. "Heh, you look like you've seen this before." She announced while looking at her childhood friend, "it's ok, stand closer." Cloud shrugged and stood close behind her, savouring the scented oil that slicked her waist length hair back. For a short minute the pair stood silent when suddenly the carriage lights flashed off, to be replaced by the sinister wall of red light.

"What's going on? It's only been about a minute!" Tifa yelped fearfully.

_"Scanning all carriages and passes, all passengers remain seated. Scanning in progress..." _The lifeless voice of the tannoy called across the airwaves.

"Wha' in the name of shi' is happ'nin'?" Barret called while slamming his fists together, seconds later the door to the carriage opened and Jessie darted in.

"We've got a problem, it looks like the servers have moved!" Jessie called.

"Wha'? How in hell we's gonna ge' out of this?" Barret snarled.

"No time to explain! Just get out of this car!" Jessie screamed before running clear.

_"Security threat alert, hostile civillians matched! Car 1 lockdown sequence initiated."_

"Come on!" Barret roared before the three fighters dashed clear, Cloud was last to cross the threshold, before quickly turning around and slamming the carriage door shut. A sound of gas pistons releasing filled the air and he looked on as the carriage behind them started to roll backwards by itself.

"They're clever I'll give them that." Cloud said with an irritated snarl. "With the security threat found in the last car all they have to do is unhook it from the rest of the train; it'll roll back to Sector Seven Station where the guards'll be waiting for it." Cloud announced with a snarl.

"Then we's safe," Barret announced gleefully. "They's gonna be too busy checkin' over that hunk o' shi' to bother us." Barret replied gleefully.

"Idiot!" Cloud rebutted, "they wouldn't just move the security areas without expecting trouble. Trust me; if I'm right and they expected us to avoid that trap, then they'll..." Before he had a chance to continue the lights around them went out in the second carriage. "Check again," he finished lamely.

"Everyone keep moving! Aim for the front car!" Jessie yelled before rushing on. Ahead of them, a thug with spiked hair attempted to grab her, but the hacker swiftly kicked the man in his groin before she side stepped past the falling body. Cloud led the others through the carriage and behind them they heard the same disconnecting cars.

Before Avalanche could regroup, the third car had begun its search, desperately they pushed on, their need to escape forcing them to not notice the three civilians that were lay unconscious on the seats, all their clothes stolen.

_"Hostiles advancing along the train, maximum security lockdown initiated!"_

As the tannoy cut out, Barret wrenched open a carriage door, only to witness Jessie and the others reaching desperately across an arcing gap between the lead car and their own. The gap was easily four metres and none of the three were stupid enough to try and jump across it.

"Jessie!" Barret yelled, "forget about us! Stick to the plan!" He watched the hacker nod hesitantly before turning to Cloud and Tifa. "I's not in the mood to fight a load of Shinra jackasses, so we's gettin' offa this train! You guys first!"

Tifa walked over to the edge and looked out at the railway lines beneath her feet. The parallel slats rolled past repeatedly, their shapes blurring together with the speed. She shuddered as she pictured herself catching them wrong and being dragged beneath the metal wheels of the carriage. Fear consumed her, she took a step backwards, not prepared to go over the edge. Her fear backing her into Cloud.

"What's wrong?" He asked swiftly.

She nodded her head at the tracks. "It's scary isn't it? We'll get ground up if this is done wrong."

Cloud's eyes narrowed. "If you can't take the heat then get out of the kitchen! Why'd you come along anyway? You knew this is what we'd be doing."

"Because..." She began before faltering, unable to bring a defense to her childhood friend.

"You two's gonna get us busted! For fucks sake get to it!" Barret roared, Tifa clenched her fists at the words.

"Right, I'm gonna do it..." With a grunt she ran towards the open door and leapt into the darkness, the silence that followed was deafening to the pair.

Calmly Cloud walked up to the edge. "You want me to go first eh?"

"A good leader always goes last!" The burly man replied and Cloud quietly hunched his body, ready to make the leap of faith. "But punk listen!" Barret shouted suddenly, "don' go gettin' yo spiky ass hurt, this's jus' the beginnin' of the mission!"

Shrugging his shoulders as a reply, Cloud looked at the edge before taking a deep breath, and then he leapt into the darkness. The air rushed at him like an angry sea, and dust stung his eyes as the particles rampaged against his pupils. As he saw the tracks get closer and closer, Cloud curled his body, ready to roll with the impact of the floor. Yet, as he collided with the base of the tunnel, Cloud felt his focus shift and he rolled angrily across the tunnels, towards the distant wall...

* * *

Cloud remembered little of the tumble from the train as he peeled himself from the floor of the tunnel. The air was thick with the smog that formed from soot and mako smoke. His groggy vision was slightly blurred, but even he realised that visibility was down to an all-time low. Swiftly he looked to the left and right to note that Barret had somehow rolled into the side of a pillar, while Tifa was flat on her back at the edge of the tracks.

"Ugh, this sort o' shit jus' ain't fun no more!" Barret groaned as he clambered up.

"I agree," Cloud cut in. "All these suicidal escapes aren't necessary. What was wrong with walking along the tracks after the train had left the station?"

Barret snarled with rage. "Listen hotshot! I's in charge here! We's not gonna get to the reactor if all we's doin' is staggerin' along train lines!"

"Funny; looks like we are reduced to that now." Cloud bit back. "The train hardly gained us anything."

"It's better than nothing!" Tifa cut in harshly, seemingly annoyed with the bickering. "And with them knowing that there was an alert, I doubt they'll be ignoring the tunnels, so let's move it!"

Stunned by her sudden authority the pair buried their differences for the time and advanced into the darkness. For the next fifteen minutes they had moved at a quick pace. The trio had been ready for battle at any time, but the tunnels were surprisingly inert, with no traps or guards advancing upon them. Though visibility was terrible, the tunnels had no natural air pockets and as such the mako steam and soot collected in the air all along the way. Ceiling mounted arc lights pierced the dark shroud occasionally but their impact was little more than needle thick.

The thinness of the lights almost caught them out; Cloud noticed a shimmering line advancing towards them and at first it seemed to be nothing more than a light further ahead. But as he noticed the light sway to the sides occasionally, Cloud realised that they were no longer alone. Instantly he ducked to the left and crouched into a space in a nearby wall; to his delight the other pair followed his lead without emitting a sound.

At first the trio could see nothing, only that the light was growing wider; it was as if a whale had opened its maw, ready to devour an entire school of plankton. Only as an overhead arc light kissed the bald scalp of a man ahead could they see the intruders. The figure was dark skinned, though unlike Barret he was not black; it was as if the man was of white descent but spent his time amongst people of the central continent; his skin a light shade of brown. The man's eyes were concealed behind a pair of dark spectacles.

To his left was stood a more wacky looking character; his auburn hair had been styled in a retro fashion; while the scalp was short and spiked, there was a long ponytail that hung down behind the man's neck, though Cloud could not see where the line of hair ended. Atop this man's head were a pair of goggles. The only similarities between the pair were that they each wore a dark navy suit that merged with the sooty air with easy. It was a near perfect camouflage; had Cloud not been paying any attention, they would never have spotted them.

"The scanner says the threat was identified further down the track." The bald man spoke with a deep tone to his voice.

"The train would have been at full speed; even a ten minute difference could see the ditch being much further back. They could've gone anywhere." The auburn haired figure countered. Unlike his cohort, his own voice lacked anything akin to serious; he seemed to be the more laid back of the two.

"Their plan?" The other asked swiftly.

"They're probably tryin' to attack another reactor. Question is which one. First, we gotta find the site they ditched, then once we get there we can decide the direction they'd taken."

As silently as they had come, the pair slipped into the shadows and down the winding tunnels of the railway. For five minutes the trio had silently watched and waited, not wanting to move away from their hideaway lest they get caught. It was only when Cloud saw no further light from their torches that they finally broke cover.

"I don' like them suckers!" Barret spat suddenly. "They's got Shinra wri'en all over 'em."

Cloud nodded. "Perceptive Barret; but more than you know. They're both Turks; they're a shadowy group that do the Shinra's dirty work. I guess the President's serious about finding us."

"We should slip away quickly before they decide to come back this way." Tifa suggested.

"You got that right girl! We's gonna follow the lines to the edge of sector five, and then find a way to the plate. Let's go!"

* * *

The train coasted gently into the station; in their stolen clothes the three members of Avalanche had feigned injuries. The blood packs had created an odourless and sticky stain, while the torn and rugged clothes furthered the idea that they had been victims of the evil terrorists.

The three members had all felt the effects of the drugs take hold of heir bodies; their temperatures had dropped and heart rates had slowed. Wedge had at first felt the twinge of panic course through him before the bodies own chemicals released their effects on his mind, calming him instantly.

The on site paramedics had wheeled the three of them into an ambulance, and as it was an emergency vehicle, the crew passed through checkpoints without any form of check. Once the ambulance was clear of the security sweeps, the trio made their move. Jessie threw back the sheet covering her and positioned the knife she had stashed beneath her shirt across one medic's throat. Before the driver could radio the alert Biggs had clubbed the man in the temple and applied the handbrake.

The emergency vehicle flipped and skidded along the road. As the ambulance stopped the trio got free and advanced off the roads towards the train tracks. Swiftly they advanced along the parallel lines, heading from sector four towards the plate underneath sector five.

"Biggs, you got the gear for them?" Jessie asked as she felt the wooden slats between the tracks under the soles of her feet.

"Yeah it's in the pack; they'll have no trouble getting through the gap." The man replied instantly.

"Where we headed now?" Wedge asked between puffs, visibly struggling to maintain their pace.

"The under plate; there's a security room where I can watch the group plant the bomb and control it. Meanwhile there's also an access to the service tunnels used by engineers of the mako pools, plus there'll be plenty of high ledges for a sniper to hide," she added with a smile. Ahead they saw the onset of the tunnels and darted into the darkness.

* * *

In the tunnels, Cloud took point as the trio headed deeper towards the plate, with around forty minutes gone since they had seen the officials responsible for Shinra dirty work, their walk had been uninterrupted. All three had donned worker's dust masks and goggles in an attempt to prevent the dirty air filling their lungs. It worked partially, but they could still feel the dirt stinging their eyes and encasing their mouths.

Suddenly the track began to curve as the tunnel followed the path of the upper disc-plate, and instantly Cloud dropped to all fours. Up ahead there was a large yellow light that had started to push back the darkness. Behind him Tifa had reached into her pack and placed the binoculars over her eyes. Cloud listened to the repeated whirring and clicking of the lenses zooming further along the tunnel. She snarled and handed them to him.

"See for yourself, it looks like the tunnels have more than railways in them!" She snorted.

Cloud accepted the spying gear and stared through the eyepieces. His vision turned a shade of red, it wasn't infra-red, though there was the odd twinge of white where a heat signature registered. Along the tunnel he saw exactly what she meant, the doorway was wide, enough for three people abreast. At the front of it were a pair of guards, their vision locked dead ahead at a wall in front of them. He also saw a pair of large lights above their heads, no doubt connected to some alarm system.

"A security outpost, they must have these as access points for the workers and militia." Cloud grumbled as he lowered the equipment from his face.

"Wha's the problem?" Barret asked.

"Simple, they have a security outpost dead ahead, we need to somehow bypass it. But they have panoramic vision from the guards in front of it, as well as us having no idea what gear they have inside it. If we attack them, three seconds later we could have Turks, Shinra guards or even Soldier coming out to greet us." Cloud concluded.

Barret slammed his fists together. "I ain' gonna let shit like this stop our plan! We's gotta get past those suckers!"

Cloud rolled his eyes. "Score one for the obvious, problem is how do we do it?" He asked as a counter.

"Can we not pretend to be Shinra?" Tifa suggested.

Cloud shook his head. "Tried that in the escape from sector eight, it bought me a minute or two but they realised pretty quickly I wasn't one of their guys. I reckon they'll have a description of me with every commander, it's too late for that sort of tactic."

"Why are they even here?" Tifa cut in, "you say it's an access point, but for what purpose? This is the first one we have seen in a good three miles, if there was an alert back there they wouldn't have any chance of stopping us."

"She's got a good fucking point! Wha' sort of shit they need guards for?" Barret added.

"Yeah it is a little strange, the Shinra aren't ones for spending cash too easily. Wait a second." He finished before slipping further ahead.

Carefully he crawled on all fours, ensuring that he was not going to be exposed by the overhead lights. Staring once again through the binoculars he saw that the trainlines were syphoned off in two directions, through what appeared to be tunnels within tunnels. Curious even further, Cloud zoomed the lenses to maximum view and saw only thin white lines where heat registered. He puzzled over this for a moment before it struck him.

"Now I get it! This is the edge of the sector, up ahead the train lines go into smaller tunnels which are separated by a wall. Inside of which I see a few white lines being picked up by the gear. I think this is some form of secret security point, the train would pass through and be scanned on the outside, should anyone's form be picked up, the traincar could be released and security onto it within seconds!" Cloud announced.

"Shit! Then tha' means we's got no way past have we?" Barret snarled.

Cloud shrugged. "We've got a choice, either we fight through them and hope we reach the reactor in time, or try and find another route. There must be a service duct somewhere that we can take advantage of." He suggested as an alternative.

"Start lookin' round these parts, we's gotta get past these suckers without blowin' the mission!" Barret commanded,instantly all three began to scour the depths of the train tunnels.

* * *

The bald Turk knelt at the side of the tracks, his fingers touching a small pool of blood that had formed near the pillars. It was sticky, which meant that it was still relatively fresh. He looked around the area before spotting a couple of areas in the wall where the dust was thinner, as if someone had been there for a short while. He nodded silently before rising to his feet.

"This is where they jumped." He announced suddenly.

His partner nodded. "Blood told you that?" He countered quickly.

"As well as the dust in the walls, direction?" The bald man asked in reprisal.

"Looks like they moved forwards. If they'd gone back from here they'd be in sector seven again. Boss'll want to know if they went after number six or number five. What'd you think Rude?" The man asked.

"We've seen no-one around, and there's no sign that anyone is moving this way. How far back were we when we consulted the scanners?"

The auburn warrior looked at his wrist. "About an hour ago and we haven't walked slowly, so around four miles."

"Number five then." The man announced decisively.

"What makes you so sure? Why not six? Avalanche always struck me as doing things by numbers." Reno added with disdain.

"The distance, if we saw no-one, then they must have seen us. They could have been right under our noses and somehow avoided us, four miles is near the edge of sector six."

The auburn warrior snarled. "The cheeky bastards! Well this'll teach them a thing or two, no-one messes with the Turks and gets away with it. I'm gonna call it in, make the boss's day."

"All of it?" His partner asked.

The man shook his head. "Oh no, we're always told to use our discretion in matters such as this. We deal with internal Shinra discipline issues, so let's not have our own coming after us eh?" As the man picked up his radio and called in the results, the other Turk smiled.

* * *

Cloud snorted as he felt Barret's heavy boot brush against his brow for around the sixth time. Tifa had found their way through, but all three knew it was not going to be an easy advance. Around one hundred yards ahead of the security outpost had been a small manhole that Barret opened with a heavy wrench of the rotted lock. With a great effort the three warriors had ventured into the crawl space.

Now they were slowly making their way along, down towards what would hopefully be the plate, though they all knew that it could easily lead them into the heart of some Shinra stronghold and instant capture. For this reason Barret had opted to take point; he was the only member of the group to possess a firearm. An enclosed space would be suicidal with anyone else at the front.

For twenty minutes they had crawled until they eventually emerged from the enclosed space. The world about them was a paradox; a step beneath heaven and a large leap above hell. The floor were comprised of thick metal sheets that spread out from orthodox rectangles into a fan shape at the edge. With the sudden space above their heads, all three stood up.

The sound of the bullet clashing with the wall caused them all to react swiftly. Cloud and Tifa both ducked behind a high pile of concrete pipes. Barret, on the other hand, raised his gun and began to fire rapidly. He fired blindly, the slugs smashing through service lamps and clanking against the colossal girders that formed part of the plate support mechanism.

After thirty seconds of non-stop assault, the burly man reigned in his attack. There was a deafening silence as no return shot came towards the group. Puzzled, they stood and walked down a small flight of stairs towards an open quadrangle. The three fighters formed a triangle shape with their backs turned to the other and, slowly, they backed across the open with their view unimpeded on all sides.

From a rafter ahead they heard a sound of shuffling feet and Barret twirled again, his gun-arm trained upon the wooden platform. He stopped himself from firing when the bumbling form of Wedge stood up, his arms raised.

"Wedge! You fired that fucking shot?" Barret shouted in outrage. The trembling figure nodded at the question. "Why the fuck you do tha'? Stupid piece of shi'!"

"I thought... I... I..." The man faltered, "thought you were Shinra."

"Idiot!" Barret snorted, "fucking shooting first; you coulda killed us!"

"Well he _is_ led by a brash style so I am not surprised," Cloud cut in. "Just grateful we made it ok. Besides, this means the others are around. The mission's is back on."

"Wha' the fuck you sayin' punk?!" Barret snarled as he aimed his palm towards Cloud's throat, only to find Tifa's fist lock tight onto it and twist the arm back. The burly man doubled over in pain.

"Stop it both of you!" She shouted angrily. "This sort of isn't helping. Cloud, I appreciate that you're used to tighter fighters, but Avalanche are about heart; we fight as though our lives depend on it. And as for you, _Mister_ _Leader,_" She snapped furiously, "you're the one who hired him as a warrior, and you sure as hell got one; that includes everything that goes with it. He might be arrogant and talk out of line, but who cares if he fights like a demon? We've got a strong side; let's not make their task easier by fighting amongst ourselves!"

The air fell silent oppressively for a moment. Fearful of what would come, Wedge backed away, leaving the three angry fighters alone. Cloud's eyes were narrowed; they had a primal texture to them as they were focusing intently through Barret. The burly tribesman had merely flushed red, his gun-arm slowly rising into the air. In between the pair stood Tifa, her fists raised, ready to stop the two brawling. For what seemed to be the longest thirty seconds in existence, it looked as if the whole thing would boil over before sense prevailed and Barret lowered his weapon.

"Don' say shi' abou' my crew again!" He seethed before storming off ahead, Wedge at his side. Tifa stood with Cloud, ready to absorb any witty comebacks, but surprisingly he held his tongue. Instead he followed the others' lead and they all advanced along the service platforms towards a large hub up ahead.

As they walked over the thin walkways Cloud felt nausea swirl through him. Beneath them was the space between the slums and the upper plate; in essence they were in a forgotten world, a space between the hammer and the anvil. The vista below the platforms was a blanketed black sky; thin pinpricks of light cutting through it sporadically. To the untrained eye it would be like staring upon the vast infinity of space, but Cloud knew better. There was no sky beneath them; what he looked at was a vast blanket of smog that was perforated by spotlights from the city limits beneath it.

Above his head the Soldier savoured the intricacies of the under-plate. Each sector had been crafted in a wedge shape, all eight together formed the circular disc that made Midgar the standout metropolis of the world. From down here he could see how the numerous girders and grooves in the lower layers of the construction spread the weight of the world. It was like the slums were shouldering all the mass of the corporate world above them and, to the eyes of the slum-dwellers, nothing could have been more apt a description of the life they lived.

He turned his eyes on the hub and was amazed at how it had been built; the whole structure was like the cab of a crane that had been suspended from the rafters. Numerous open platforms and ladders conjoined upon it from different directions, it was like crawling towards the centre of a spider web. The hub was rectangular and had huge windows that gave a panoramic view of the world below. Carefully the crew walked along the route and entered the hub. All along the walls were a mass of TV screens, while numerous ticker tape reels spat paper out onto the floor.

Jessie sat at the centre of the hub, her legs resting on the console as she reclined in the leather computer chair. Her micro computer was plugged into the system, the object repeatedly beeping and whirring as data was stolen from the main Shinra system.

"You's lookin' pretty relaxed." Barret announced.

Jessie nodded. "Got all the tools I could ever want here." She turned her head to the group, wrinkling her nose as she took in their appearance. "You three are filthy; don't know how you managed breathing all that in for as long as you did."

"How is security?" Cloud asked.

"Tight. They've locked down all the main access doors this time around. Luckily I'm a genius at streaming data." She tossed a leather purse at him and the warrior caught it deftly. "The blue shaded cards are my ice-breakers; I've re-programmed them to reset all coded locks to their factory settings and open. The red ones are special; once you've set the bomb, the three of you will have to get out via the main entrance. The reds are your exit key."

"Exit key?" Cloud asked nervously.

Jessie smiled. "It's dead easy; near the main doors there're three computer terminals and all of them have a card slot. What you lot have to do is place your cards halfway in and then turn them 90 degrees to the right at exactly the same time."

"Sounds easy," Tifa interjected. "But what about the bomb?"

Jessie pointed to a rucksack at her side. "In here's the latest spec, but because of the close call last time out I'm changing the rules a bit. There's no timer on this one; I'm gonna blow the reactor once you lot are clear of it. Once that's done, we get out of here."

"Yeah tha's ri't! I don' wan' you guys gettin' yo' ass' busted! Move out through sector four!" Barret commanded.

"Biggs is waiting on the north platform He'll help you get into the reactor and get rid of the gear you use." Wedge announced. "Once he's back we'll make our escape."

"Enough talk, we's gonna move!" Barret ordered, before the trio slipped out.

* * *

"You're sure of this?" The man called into the receiver as the news came in. His black hair hung at shoulder length while the blue suit absorbed the light like a ravenous beast.

_"The blood pool tells us they ditched the train. Then the idiots went for the service tunnels to the north. Number five's the only reactor that way."_ The arrogant voice called back.

"You'd better not be taking a gamble on this. You'll shame us." The man rebutted.

_"We don't have difficulties like Soldier."_ A second voice cut in.

_"Just say the word."_ The initial voice overlapped suddenly.

"Go." The official called. He turned tail and walked into the large spotlights of the helipad, the rotor blades throwing up wind furiously. "Sector five is the target sir; are you sure you want to face them?" He asked swiftly.

"They are my enemy, Turk. They will know my face. Ready the prototype weapon; it's the perfect time for a road test." His superior called before sliding shut the blacked out door. The head Turk jumped into the front alongside the pilot and began to radio in the order.

* * *

After leaving the hub, the three eco warriors had descended an iron ladder and found themselves on a flimsy wooden walkway. Cloud had felt like the nervous character in an adventure movie who was frightened of the rope bridge that led over a pit of alligators as he walked along it. The wood had been rotted in places and large fissures had formed along the centre, which creaked and groaned ominously. At any moment it could have given way and thrown them all into the abyss.

As a result they had slowed their movements considerably, covering a distance of less than half a mile in thirty minutes, such was their caution and desire to not fall into the depths. It was because none of them had any desire to fall into the depths below that they erected such caution. In a way, the journey felt like they were about to converge upon some ancient tomb that was laced with golden treasures; after having walked through the gorge of death that was a test for all who dared disturb the ruins.

The truth was far less romantic, the Shinra had simply made this point as a quick fix route for the workers, a point that Jessie had pointed out as they had slipped from the hub. It was only meant to have been a temporary way through, but after years of gathering dust, it still remained. Cloud guessed that most of those years it had been left exposed to the driving winds and rain from the upper plate and as such the wear had taken its toll. Yet the withered platform held, and they soon rounded an L-shaped junction, where they found Biggs standing with his back against the much more solid outer wall of the reactor.

"I thought you'd got lost." He quipped after taking a swig from a silver hipflask.

"We's figured that a punk like you had fallen through the cracks of this sucker!" Barret bit back.

"Wedge said you'd help us get in. How?" Cloud asked.

Biggs tossed a rucksack to him and Cloud caught it deftly. "In there's all the tools you'll need." He explained as Cloud pulled out a large gun with a spear on the end. "Grapple gun; I'll tell you where to shoot it when we are in. I'll anchor the rope and you guys use it to get through, but after that you're on your own."

Cloud raised an eyebrow. "A large steel cable is not exactly subtle. How are we going to be under the radar with this?"

"Listen! We's worked this shit out earlier!" Barret snapped.

"I want to know what you worked out, as a Soldier I can tell you one thing; I'm trained to spot this sort of thing. So are all the guards of the Shinra." Cloud retorted.

"Up ahead is a large platform, it is an observation deck they used to get mako readings years ago," Biggs explained as Barret was about to start yelling again. "Trust me they won't see us. C'mon, I'll show you!" Eagerly the man ran ahead and climbed a small ladder, before leading them down a small tunnel filled with white light.

The group emerged at the other end to find themselves on a square shaped platform that was some ten metres by ten metres in size. Fifty metres below them was a colossal pool filled with a green liquid that sloshed repeatedly as thick turbines repeatedly drew the energy into the tubes that flowed through the depths. Cloud rushed to the edge and stared at the pool, it was far too low to jump, and there was no telling how deep it was.

He lifted his head and looked across the view straight ahead. Like in the last reactor, the main access to the lower levels was through a spiral staircase that coiled around a stone structure. It was sectioned by low roofed middle levels, and the distance between their makeshift entryway and the coiled stairwell was at least the same distance as the mako pool below.

"You honestly think the Shinra were expecting an attack from here?" Biggs asked smugly.

Tifa grinned. "Genius way through; so are we going to slide in?"

Biggs nodded. "The rope coiled up is around seventy metres, so there's enough of it for a shot towards the middle of the stairs. It'll give you a downward cable to slide off."

Cloud reached into the rucksack and pulled clear four clips that had runners at their ends. "We strap the bag down and slide that first, then Tifa leads, Barret you bring up the rear."

"Say wha'?" The man snarled menacingly, "I's in charge here; we's gonna follow my plan you shi'!"

Cloud shook his head. "No, trust me; if you go first the cable will bend dangerously when we try to follow. If that happens the runners might be dislodged and two of us go off for an early bath. This way the weight is evenly distributed all the way down."

"Listen up, jackass!" Barret yelled before storming over. "I's not gonna stand for any more of yo' shi'! You's not in charge!"

"Shut up both of you!" Tifa shouted. "Cloud is right, Barret, I used to be a mountaineer, so trust me when I say I know a damned sight more than you about ropes and climbing! One change to Cloud's plan, though; we don't go until the other is about to touch down."

She pulled one of the clips up and levelled it at head height. "You buckle it tight, but see this?" She announced while pointing at a red button on the thong that would secure the wrist. "You press that and the thong disconnects from the clip, dropping you. It's so that you don't crash into a wall at forty miles per hour. Have land beneath you when you press it." She added sarcastically before reaching for the grapple gun.

Biggs coiled one end of the rope around a thick stone pillar and secured the brace to it. "You're anchored." He announced, Tifa aimed down the sightline before squeezing the trigger, all four of the warriors watched the steel fibred rope chop through the air before the arrow head at the front pierced the stone wall of one level. Biggs threw the wrench around the nut of the brace and wound it until the rope was rock solid.

Tifa grabbed the wrench and threw it into the bag. "How you going to get rid of this?" She asked.

Biggs pulled clear a drill. "I'll drill it free and toss it into the pool, you do the same at your end. By the time they've dragged it from all that, we'll be long gone."

Without another word she walked up the edge of the platform and clipped the rucksack to the cable, before sliding it forcefully down the rope. Taking a deep breath she secured her own clasp in place and buckled it against the thick metal loop in her belt. The warrior woman stood on the rail at the edge of the platform and inhaled deeply, before she too leapt from the edge and began to slide down towards the central stairwell.

Cloud carefully secured the huge glaive onto his back and ducked around the cable, making sure to not let his weapon drag against it. He watched his childhood friend reach the stairwell, before he followed in her wake. A rush of mako twinged air pressed against his body and a shot of adrenaline coursed through him. This was a feeling of being alive! His eyes watched the air beneath his feet and he patiently waited for the stairs to appear before he pressed the button on the leather thong.

For a second time stopped completely, he felt as if this was the moment where it all came to pass and he would kiss goodbye to the life he knew. Yet, as he saw the stone floor coming up to meet him, he threw his body forwards and landed in a messy roll, stopping short of the second stairwell and a tumble down the lowest level. He heard Barret's grinding approach and carefully made sure he was out of the way before looking up and seeing that he had made it. Swiftly Cloud wrapped the wrehc around the brace to the cable and unwound it from the wall, Barret unceremoniously dumped it over the side into the chasm below.

"Tha's it! Now we's cookin'!" He roared.

Cloud nodded. "It was a clever entry, let's just hope that the exit is as smooth. Let's go." Quickly the three of them darted clear of the middle level.

* * *

Everything about the fifth reactor was the same as that within sector one. The Shinra had been a corporation that believed in uniform and routine, this was no exception. The government made sure that all had the same layout with their central controls deep within the bowels of the tower. Cloud was not sure how far below the upper plate they were, but they were sure to be miles above the slums. Just like Midgar was a two-storey world, there were always the groups who fell through the net and existed in neither.

Yet, unlike that mission, this one was different. So far they had encountered no security threat, had it not been for the Shinra discovering Jessie's hacker signature, he believed that Avalanche may have finally gotten something right. The entry was as smooth and controlled as most missions he had served, and it actually smacked of creating and sticking to a plan.

The ice breakers Jessie had provided were the pinnacle of their achievements though; the light cards were temperature sensitive, so when a card felt the draughty air of it not fitting a slot properly, the plastic expanded so that the picking process would not fail. He decided that he wouldn't ask Jessie exactly how it worked; he didn't have the patience to sit through lectures about alloys and isotopes.

As they stood on the network of pipes over the central platform, he felt the dizziness that the heights presented him with subside. It was all coming together; Barret had confirmed that all they had left to do was plant the bomb and pull out. So he marched on with a vigour and drive that had been missing for months. He was not sure why he'd felt such apathy, but here and now, that had gone.

Barret led point, taking them all down the colossal thirty foot ladder to the wide bridge between the Shinra service elevator and the core of the plant. Cloud and Tifa followed furiously, but as he got closer to the core, Cloud felt nervous suddenly. They had breached the entire reactor without once being challenged. They had been able to hack through security and bypass all guards, almost like someone was letting them get this far. He growled to himself, confidence was definitely not something he wanted to lose, but more than that, he wanted to know why they were being allowed to get so close to what they desired.

Up ahead he saw Tifa crouch down and stare through him; instantly a sharp pain filled his mind. The eyes focused intently as a twinge of red light began to drown the scene from the edges, like a fountain pen that had been dropped carelessly onto a stray piece of blotting paper. The mercenary tried to speak, his lips seemingly frozen and the syllables stuttering like a fuel starved engine, before his mouth gave up and the sound died entirely. His mind was on fire with a blacksmith's hammer clanging repeatedly against the anvil that was his skull. He reached out desperately, but his strength failed, and the former Soldier fell unto darkness...

* * *

The figure awoke to a world that was not his own. The wide reactor platform had been replaced by a flat top of a colossal pipe that ran across the chasm instead. His eyes looked ahead and he watched the girl drift slowly down to the floor. A rustic Stetson was placed on her head, carefully stopping the long hair from drifting over her eyes. She wore a brown leather outfit, while on her waist was a coiled whip.

On the floor beneath her was a pale man; his features had greyed and his eyes had rolled into his skull, a sign of being exposed to death long before. A large trail of blood had splattered in a line behind the man, where a huge blade of some kind had been dragged clear, the length of the stain easily four feet.

"Papa..." The girl began with hot tears stinging her eyelids. "Sephiroth?" She asked sorrowfully, the name skewered itself through Cloud's mind like a spear, though he could not speak or move. "Sephiroth did this to you didn't he?" The woman asked the corpse. "Sephiroth, Shinra, Soldier, Mako reactors, everything..." She announced despairingly. "I hate them all!" The figure screamed as she lifted her head to the heavens, the sound akin to that of an angry wolf.

Suddenly she leapt to her feet, her gloved hands forming tight fists, full of fire and sorrow she marched through the doorway into a room Cloud could not see. He desperately tried to drag himself after her, determined to not let it happen again. For two pathetic yards the man managed to pull himself along, until his strength departed, and he sagged back to the cold surface of the metal pipe.

* * *

Both of the comrades had looked on in horror as the fighter had collapsed in the centre of the walkway. Barret had reacted by pulling his gun-arm to the air and aiming at the skies, determined to find the sniper who had shot the man down, but nothing filled his sights. Tifa, meanwhile, had rushed to her friend's side, she'd gulped and placed two fingers against his throat. Only to sigh in relief as she felt a steady pulse push against the tips from within the veins.

For three minutes they had watched before the man stirred and began to claw his way back from the floor. He looked worse for wear, though he shook his head like a dog after a walk in the rain, and appeared to begin a form of recovery. He groaned loudly and Barret shook his head.

"Damn man, tha's the second time I's seen shi' like tha' from you." He called at the confused figure.

"Huh?" He groaned in reply.

"Cloud are you ok?" Tifa asked with a sudden worry in her voice.

"Tifa?" He replied with some form of delight as if he had never expected she would be before him, as she looked back with her own bafflement displayed on her face, he shook his head again. "No, forget it, I'm all right. Just a reaction to mako."

"This' wha' Soldier is all about eh?" Barret announced mockingly.

Cloud pointed at the reactor tower. "And that's what you're about." He cockily retaliated before striding for the tower. Tifa followed and carefully set the wires before beginning the key sequence. Nervously, they all watched the display but smiled as it remained devoid of any time or detonation.

"Aw right!" Barret shouted, "now le's ge' the fuck outta here!" He roared, instantly the three of them made their way back.

* * *

The suited figure looked at the world beneath him from the helicopter, the man felt nervous about the plan, it smacked of arrogance. Despite being in charge of the Turks, Tseng was not an arrogant man; he liked things to follow order and be controlled. The Genesis crisis had blown up from arrogance; it had almost destroyed the company. He didn't dare think about what would happen should this fail. But the superior had overridden his concerns, ordering him to maintain the chopper at a silent distance.

"Why is this necessary?" Tseng had asked.

"They need to know who their masters are, like fish on a hook, they'll be ours to control." Was all the man had replied with, it had infuriated the Turk. Still, he was a loyal member of the company, and all orders from the superiors would be followed to the letter.

He had been given some good news though; activity within the reactor suggested that the terrorists had breached the service tunnels. His men had correctly gauged the situation and now it all fell into place. The pair had been delighted when told to merely go, though he hadn't heard a report of them catching anything remotely resembling allies that terrorists had employed to get as far as they had.

_"Tseng, get the guards at the gates." _The military commander had roared into his headset, instantly, Tseng had opened a channel and passed on the command. _"And wait for your orders; when you get the go ahead, drop the chopper and pull him out."_

The Turk commander had absorbed the order obediently; whether it was to merely be an airman or a major force on the ground, Tseng would do the bosses proud tonight. A smile filled his lips as he thought of the red haired girl that had got away, the rest was easy.

* * *

Unlike the first reactor, the fifth was in the awkward position of being between an affluent sector and one that was never finished. As such some slight differences in the layout existed. Without having the same expansive layout, the terminal room was near the exit on the top level. Instantly the three eco warriors had rushed for it and readied the special cards. At the rear of the room were three gigantic computers that stood on their own for a height of around eight metres.

At the centre of all three were special card slots. Quickly, they had darted towards them and coolly placed their own forged keycards inside until the black line was obscured by the lip of the slot. All of them felt the cards become clamped in place.

"Jessie said they have to be turned sequentially." Tifa began, "on the count of three... One... Two... Three!" At exactly the same time, all three turned their cards to the right, the plastic going from a flat horizontal position to a vertical one. A dial in the centre of the console above all three slots flashed green and they heard colossal gas pistons releasing in the main hall outside the room.

"Looks like it worked," Cloud announced, "so let's go before they find out we were here!" The three darted through and out into the hall. Cloud ignored the blinking LED's and criss crossing wires that were hidden under the wire mesh floor beneath their feet.

The trio rounded a bend in the corridor and found the thirty metre high main door wide open. Swiftly they rushed out and onto the T-shaped platforms. Barret swung to the right and aimed for the border towards Sector four when they opened by themselves suddenly. A blinding light filled the air from the chest of the robot guard that emerged. A sound of magnetic energy filled the air and it rushed forwards. Barret dove to his left, while at his side, Tifa leapt to the right. The machine went down the middle and raised its arms aloft. Leaving Cloud stranded behind it.

"Wha' in the name of all shi' is this?" Barret shouted.

Cloud gritted his teeth. "I knew we had it too easy; it must've been a Shinra trap."

"I knew I should'na trusted a fucker like you!" Barret snorted

"I didn't have a clue this was going on!" Cloud protested.

_"He's right, he didn't."_ A deep voice suddenly cut in.

All three turned their heads back to the main doors of the reactor and watched as the figure emerged. The ill fitting red suit still highlighted the colossal gut that he had built up over the years. The blonde hair that had at one point protected his scalp from the sheen of light was still in the process of receding at the temples, while the medals shined in the light.

"Pres... President Shinra." Cloud stuttered in total disbelief.

"Why would he be here?" Tifa asked with the same level of bewilderment.

The President clicked his fingers as if trying to remember something. "Now then... You must be that group... Oh... I hate forgetting names."

"It's Avalanche! And don' you forget i', ya motherfucker!" Barret retaliated.

The President shrugged nonchalantly. "Well that's settled then; you're all a big disappointment for me. I wouldn't expect such a pathetic looking group to be the ones responsible. You are all so very arrogant, not to mention stupid, if you believe that you honestly got this far on your own."

Cloud silently walked towards the figure and looked him straight in the eye. "Long time no see, Mr President." He announced suddenly.

"Long time no see?" The President replied, "oh you!" He yelped as the man figure's fell into his memory. "You're that traitor; the one who left Soldier and joined the terrorists. Every man in Soldier wants your head, especially Garuda. Tell me, traitor, what was your name?"

"Cloud." He answered swiftly.

"Forgive me; I am not expected to remember names, a man of power sees too many faces. But I have had my meeting, I now know who has been responsible for all this nonsense, and I know that you're all to die." He chuckled darkly at the incredulous expressions that responded to his announcement. "So it really would be a waste to remember the names of the dead, now wouldn't it?"

"I don' give a shi' about none of tha'! We's got this whole place rigged like a firework, soon this's all gonna go off and anot'er of yo' scum sucking machines will buy it jackass!" Barret yelled defiantly.

"Have you never heard of a red flag operation? The striking down of oneself to gain support of the masses? I allowed you rig that bomb and I'm going to let you blow this reactor up, because I gain the faith of all the sheep on the streets from it, while you're all going to die here.

"Airbuster! Kill them!" He shouted. Instantly the machine made an attack on Cloud, who rolled out of the way swiftly.

In their distraction, none of Avalanche members had seen the helicopter that swept down to the platform. The President mockingly boarded the craft and waved as it took off back to the skies. On the walkway beneath it, he watched the three warriors flank the machine. They had been clever to surround it on both sides, but this was not one human fighter; it was a prototype death machine, and he was confident their lives were his. So confident, in fact, that he ordered the chopper to not remain and watch the fight.

Cloud desperately leapt backwards and performed a flip using his palms to evade a rushing attack from the machine. It had come at him like a train, but stopped as soon as he flipped away from the front of it. As he distracted the enemy, Barret unleashed a volley upon its back and the machine retaliated straight away by firing a salvo of slugs from a concealed cannon on the back of it. Only Tifa's deft flying shoulder barge had forced Barret from the line of fire.

The machine had immediately taken advantage of the situation and turned tail, aiming an assault at both Barret and Tifa simultaneously. Tifa had leapt onto the front of the machine and spring boarded up towards the head. Calmly she grabbed hold of the neck and vaulted onto the shoulders. Harshly she grabbed at some wires and pulled with all her might. An electric shock flung her backwards. Cloud had been thrown from his feet as she collided with him.

At first he feared she had been knocked unconscious, but after a moment, she suddenly leapt to her feet. he was puzzled as to how until he saw the orb glowing within the gauntlet of her right hand. He smiled suddenly, she must have had a lightning materia equipped and this bore the brunt of its own attack. Though the light within it had begun to dim swiftly, which meant that any boost to its power was only going to be temporary.

He watched as she ran along the rail that was knife-edge thin. Artfully she leapt into the air and slammer her fist against a sensor in the enemy's elbow. It shuddered as the lightning energy collided with it, before the sensor smoked and burned out. Cloud grinned; that was the break he had been waiting for. Waving his fists into the air, he felt the green energy of the planet arise around him before he thrust his fingers towards to the machine. A simple bolt of electricity smashed against the back of the robot, paralysing it briefly.

Instantly he took advantage; he rushed forwards and leapt at the creature, stabbing the glaive through a panel in the armour. He felt sparks fly out from within, but he wasn't finished yet. Ripping the blade clear he leapt up again, thrusting the blade though the tip of the enemy's spine. Suddenly the mechanical enemy began to shudder on the spot. As the mercenary leapt off the enemy, Barret let rip one last time, his gun on full auto. Bullets smashed against the armour and head repeatedly.

Suddenly a pair of missiles flew from the chest and he cowered away, the rockets shot past both Tifa and himself before they turned tail and detonated under the bridge. The explosion ripped up through the machine and scattered it into a multitude of pieces that flew off the edge into the slums and also back along to the reactor. But this is not what gathered their attention. The explosion had thrown Cloud into the air and he was left carely clinging onto the bridge by the protruding pieces of metal inside the hole it had left behind.

"Cloud!" Tifa screamed as she ran to the edge of the hole from her side, easily some five metres from her friend.

"Damn... Can't..." Cloud mumbled as he desperately tried to haul himself back up.

"Barret! Do something!" Tifa pleaded.

The burly man shook his head as he stopped her from going to the hole. "There ain't a damn we's able to do! The gap's too far girl!" He looked at the mercenary. "Yo' gonna be awright?" He asked.

For a moment there was silence before Cloud looked at him. "You two get out of here! I'm gonna be fine, trust me; I'll see you back in sector seven!" He shouted. "Barret, take care of Tifa for me!"

Barret nodded. "I's not gonna let her be hurt! Don' ge' yo'self killed punk!"

"I won't!" He shouted, despite his grip slackening. "Both of you go; Jessie is waiting to blow it."

He didn't look back as his fingers failed him. Frantically he freefell for ten metres before his desperate reach grabbed hold a thick support beam. But the shock of the impact gave him no time for a real solid hold, and soon he was in freefall again. For one hundred metres he spiralled desperately, his mind beginning to fade as the g-force took hold. His body felt three times heavier than normal. He thrashed out again and yelped as he painfully crashed against a stone platform. Cloud felt one finger break under the impact.

The g-force grew and soon merciful darkness fell across him. He didn't feel the pain in his back as he smashed through the tiles of the roof, and he didn't feel the jolt as he crashed to a standstill somewhere in the slums below. He just felt merciful silence, free of the agony and the gravity that had threatened to crush him.


	4. Sanctuary

Chapter 4: - Sanctuary

The figure could feel that his eyes were open.

The cold draught that was sucked into the vortex of his pupils soundlessly was the only means he needed as proof. Yet, no images formed in front of his eyes; it was as if the vision was trained into the heart of a mineshaft. His mind reeled at the thought as a hazy memory tumbling filled him. The sense of helplessness and inevitability that was awarded to him was slowly beginning to push him closer and closer to the edge.

"Are you ok?" The voice asked suddenly. His eyes rolled without his vision changing.

"Huh?" The man announced groggily.

"How does it feel?" The strange and distant voice called gently.

"How does what feel?" His frustration mounted as he countered the bizarre question.

"Back then, all that would happen is that you'd get back with scraped knees."

"What are you talking about? Back then?"

"Forget about that. What about now?"

"I'm not sure."

"Then try it," the voice urged him.

Painfully the man felt the muscle of his right leg spasm before it gave a loud popping sound as the joint reset itself.

"Oh it moved!"

The voice was not that of the one from the void, and betrayed the speaker's whereabouts. Still, the close vicinity of the sound surprised him. It was almost as though he were not alone. The new voice belonged to a girl – he was vaguely sure he hadn't ever met her before. This added to the confusion he had felt since being in the void and his world began to spin, the senses all fusing together violently as the collinder of emotions and voices all shouted over one another. For thirty stomach-churning seconds the sensation persisted until at last he felt the world begin to fall into line.

He slowly awoke with a sense of calm washing over him, as if he had survived a ship wreck and drifted to a deserted island in the middle of the ocean. Cloud felt the cobwebs in his skull begin to recede as he stared upwards where, surprisingly, no ceiling was present. Instead, he saw the automated lights from the outdoors pour into the structure he had found himself in. It took him a moment to realized he was staring through a gaping hole in the otherwise undisturbed structure.

The rest of the ceiling was a beautiful and yet simple pattern woven into wood, almost as though the architect had been some kind of artist. Beams formed a square shape, before becoming slightly indented to form another layer; they constantly narrowed creating a pyramid shaped spire.

The thought of being inside this defiled sanctuary was gloriously alien and obtuse to the warrior, though he had no memory of his journey here.

"You have an aura of luck around you," The feminine voice called again. The husky male voice had long since fallen to silence. "Are you ok?" Cloud nodded slowly. "Good, your fall was broken..."

Cloud shook his head at the thought and performed an athletic leap to his feet, kicking out with both legs he flew upwards like a spear before he arched his body like a bridge and landed upright. His unseen company giggled as the unruly spikes of his blonde hair washed over his eyes repeatedly.

"The fall's done nothing to stall your style," she added with an impish giggle. Cloud turned to find himself face to face with a somewhat familiar looking young woman, and a pretty one at that. Her long brown hair was tied behind her into a simple braid, but was held back at the top by a rather large pink bow. He was beginning to feel more and more out of touch with his surroundings; a soldier in such a simple and peaceful looking place made him stick out like a sore thumb. "I am glad you're safe."

He stepped back and looked her over as smoothly as he could. The pink corseted dress flowed to her ankles, while a stylish red over-cloak was drooped over her shoulders and buttoned down to the bottom of her chest. She was not a woman with a voluptuous figure, but her long braided brown hair and the regal look of her blue eyes made her face striking beautiful.

"You say my fall was broken?" Cloud asked hesitantly, "I came crashing down then?"

The mysterious woman nodded slowly at his question. "It was a shock; I was just tending to the flower bed when I heard the beams crash above my head. Before I could turn to move you'd fallen into the centre. It gave me a real fright."

"Flowerbed?" Cloud asked in a confused voice. Almost desperately he looked about him and saw that he was standing within a ring of flowers; somehow set within a space of broken floorboards. "Oh god, these are yours? I'm so sorry."

The girl giggled and nodded swiftly. "It's ok. They grow to be walked on. This world is strange; all people say that flowers can't grow inside Midgar. The reactors drain away the life, yet here they bloom freely here. I've planted some at my house and they're flourishing just as healthily over there."

She walked to the edge of the flower ring and looked up into the single ray of light that came from behind the ancient glass. "I love it here," she added with an ethereal twinge of sorrow to her voice, before she walked past Cloud and began to rummage in the dirt once more.

As he watched her move past him the feeling of peace still washed over him, if this truly was a deserted island, then he was the hero who won the heart of the lonely tribe princess. Or so the books would say, Cloud knew that this world was too cynical and bitter for such a thing to exist. The woman was an enigma; almost like she belonged to a people who were not of this earth. That she chose to walk amongst the damned as a defiance to her own masters was even more odd than the survival of his fall.

The truth was much simpler; she was a woman who believed in the purity and strength of the world. Cloud admired her passion, but he berated her foolishness. The world was anything but pure. She had looked into the single ray of light as if the sun had risen from behind the glass to welcome in the new day, but in this undercity there was no daylight. All that light had been spawned from a security spotlight dropping sarcastically from the posh upper plate.

After all, daylight to the slums was but an illusion.

Surprised by his sudden melancholy, Cloud shook his head and walked after the woman. He had no idea where he was or how he had gotten here. One thing confused him; if he had fallen through the roof of the church then that was at least fifty feet of freefall. But to fall through the church he must have been either on top of it, or even further above. How was he in one piece?

"You're ready to talk?" The girl asked suddenly, startled by her sudden interjection, Cloud simply nodded. "You heal swiftly; I had cast the strongest magic I knew, but I did not think the bone would join back together so quickly, nor did I view your skin stitching itself into place without a scar. You're magnificent."

"I was that bad?" Cloud asked fearfully.

Aeris nodded. "Your right leg was bent all the way around. I could place your heel where your groin is. The fall must have been very high, possibly even all the way up from the top plate."

As she mentioned the words Cloud felt pain in his head, it was as if a wall of fire had been ignited behind his eyes. He saw again the twisted and buckled metal platform fissure and split as the explosion ripped through it. He felt the pain course through him as his palms and fingers were skewered by the shrapnel while he frightfully clung to life like a wraith. He felt the wave of sorrow and helplessness of his colleagues trying in vain to help him.

"Are you ok?" She asked swiftly.

Cloud nodded his head as he felt the vision subside. "Just a flashback. I fell far all right. A punk shoved me from a ledge. When I find him..."

"He will go straight to prison!" Aeris shouted suddenly. "The people of Midgar really don't understand the consequences. He could have killed you... Lucky I was here to meet you again."

Cloud felt another sharp blast cross his mind. "Again?" He gasped as the sharp needle of the past raked at his brain.

The stranger nodded. "We've met before, don't you remember?"

Cloud shook violently before he saw her face climbing from the floor, beaten and withered flowers swaying in a shattered wicker basket upon her arm. His studded arm had reached out and she gratefully accepted before clambering up from the floor.

"I remember you, in sector eight; you sold flowers to the people. Sold one to me," he added with a wink.

She flashed a gleaming white smile. "You remembered?" She echoed in delight, "thank you so much for buying my flowers, it meant a lot to me."

Cloud waved the comment away. "It's nothing, though I said they were a rare thing, not so looking at this lot."

She giggled. "As I said before, they just grow, I only help nurture them. But it isn't a trick; there's no magic, just the last thread of life refusing to wilt into dust. It inspires those who want to fight for a better world."

Cloud rolled his yes; if only Barret were here - he'd make her an honorary member of Avalanche with those words. "That may be, however, the world has changed, and everything is all about the money and greed now. Maybe it's time that this world died? Allow the parasites to drown in their own filth?"

She flashed an angry look at him; it was almost as though his words had insulted her personally. "Thoughts like that are what kill the world. It needs to be loved and cared for. Everyone rakes at it without a second thought. If a craftsman can spend years building a statue of beauty, one fool with a hammer can destroy it in a heartbeat. Our world is no different than that."

Cloud shook his head. "It is a good thought, and I admire your belief in what is right. But ultimately, the masses are the ones that matter in this world; it's why people like me exist."

"Well you saved me. If this cruel world can create one good turn from everyone, then it might just save itself. What sort of man are you to just condemn this world?" Aeris asked with a sigh.

Cloud shrugged. "No one special; just whatever job comes along."

"That's what everyone says when I tell them I sell flowers. They ask me 'what is the point of selling something that withers and dies before your eyes?' But each and every time they ask, I reply with the same answer; 'Why shouldn't I sell you something that dies before your eyes?' They get confused on the whole but some understand my meaning."

"That you hold life in your hand and it is better to live it than watch it fade?" Cloud replied confidently.

A beaming smile returned to her face. "That's exactly what I mean; this world is turning to darkness, but only by savouring the light and blowing on the embers can the darkness recede." A peaceful silence fell for a moment before the woman held her hand to her mouth. "Oh goodness! We've been talking through all these deep concepts and haven't even thought to introduce ourselves have we? I'm Aerith, a flower seller from the slums. What about you?" She asked politely.

Cloud nodded. "I'm Cloud, a fighter for hire; mercenary basically. I do the jobs that need doing, no matter how big or small."

"Oh! A jack of all trades?"

Cloud shrugged. "Not a bad description, though I am more than a general dog's body."

She giggled. "You use materia in the jobs?"

"Oh yeah! Nowadays you can find materia any place."

Aerith dropped her head suddenly. "I know, but mine is special. It is good for absolutely nothing!"

Cloud raised an eyebrow. "That can't be right; no materia is useless. You're probably just not using it properly."

She shook her head violently. "No, no; that's not it. I know how to use materia, and I know how this one is supposed to work. I put it in all the right slots, but nothing happens. I can't attune my mind to it nor feel any aura from it; it's as if I picked up a large marble rather than a magical ball of energy."

"No materia is totally useless; they each have some form of property to them. Have you thought about it not being a materia used for magic purposes? I have heard of some which are more to do with physical properties."

Aeris shook her head. "It is definitely for some form of magical purpose, but right now I can't use it. It was my Mother's, I keep it as a reminder of her. So I have it tied in my hair until I learn more..."

Her voice trailed off suddenly and Cloud watched her eyes widen, a sense of fear devouring all the tranquillity that they had held merely seconds earlier. Calmly he turned and looked around the area, his eyes focused like a hawk's for any danger. To the left of him was row upon row of rotted wooden pews that years ago would have held a congregation quite happily in prayer. Down the centre of which was an aisle that a few of the young girls in the city would have dreamed of walking down.

But this was not what arrested his attention; at the end of the aisle was a colossal antiquated door, the structure started with straight beams like any other before it formed a wonderous arc shape at the top. A pair of heavy circular metal pieces formed handles that gave out a deafening noise as they collided with the thick wood of the door. At the centre of which stood a man whom Cloud could not quite see, though he was dressed in dark blue and his hair looked an extremely bright shade.

"Cloud..." Aerith began with a lot of hesitation. "Please... Help me."

"Huh? What?" He asked as he turned back to look at her, Aerith's face was white as a sheet.

"You do anything right?" He nodded at her question. "Then please... Get me out of here, take me away."

The sudden wave of paranoia that she emitted freaked him out a little and he found himself compelled to look back down the aisle at the figure. As the unknown enemy walked closer Cloud felt a swathe of anger hit him. The figure's dark blue suit and long red ponytail told him who the man was and he cursed his luck as the enemy walked closer towards them.

"Dammit! They couldn't have figured out where I fell so suddenly," he announced angrily.

Aerith shook her head. "Cloud, that isn't it. They're not after you; they're here for me."

"What?" He announced as the shock of her statement plunged home. "What in hell would they want with a flower seller from the slums? Who the hell are you?"

She paused and dropped her head before speaking. "Cloud, I don't know what they want; all I know is that I don't want to go with them. Please Cloud! Won't you help me?"

He nodded. "All right but it'll cost you, every job does." He replied coldly.

Frantically she searched her person, desperate to find money or anything of value to the man. She looked into his eyes and could sense that he meant every word. But beneath the aura Cloud emitted, she sensed a fire of honour and courage that was waiting to come out. It was as if he'd returned to save her like he always promised.

"I don't have anything... Please, I'll let you take me out; I'll let you rape me, anything!"

Cloud watched her eyes and knew that she was going to be a lamb to the slaughter; he also knew that she was desperate. Whatever they wanted her for, he wouldn't allow it. He cursed himself as he reached for the sword on his back. How was a mercenary supposed to make a profit if they had no spine and didn't walk away when nothing was on offer?

"I have never been a rapist, and I don't intend to become one." He announced with a neutral voice. "But I have never abandoned an innocent either; we can discuss the fee another time. Stand clear." He announced before walking up to the end of the aisle.

* * *

The men stood roughly twenty feet apart. Cloud looked beyond the blue suited figure and saw a squadron of four guards. This was definitely not an arrest for him or anything to do with Avalanche, for that they'd have sent a full platoon of fifteen men. Confidence replaced the nerves and Cloud strode forward, so that he was stood between a row of pews.

"We have an arrest warrant for the girl. Stand aside; this ain't got nothin' to do with you." The red-headed figure announced.

Cloud's eyes remained fierce and focused. "That girl has a name, and she doesn't want to go with you. I'm her bodyguard, if you want her, come and get her!"

"I'll take you on any time, punk, but right now, all we want is the girl, so back off!" The confident man replied through a wide grin.

Cloud hawked and spat at the man's feet. "I'm not gonna tell you again; either turn around and walk away, or you go through me. But she's not going with you, so stop wasting everyone's time and leave already."

"You're outmatched, asshole. I've got four men with guns primed and ready; they'll rip you full of holes if I tell them to." The suited man announced with a cold voice.

Cloud swung his sword and shattered a nearby pew to shards. "I'd cut them into ribbons before you could cry out two syllables."

"No!" Aerith shrieked suddenly, "don't fight them here, you'll ruin the flowers!"

Cloud turned around and was about to wonder what she was doing when he saw her run through a door to the back of the church. With a curse he ran after her, slotting the sword back into the magnetic locks on his back as he ran in her wake.

* * *

Reno listened to the hissing and cackling of his mens' laughter with disdain for barely a second before he was bored. He wondered what he'd done to be saddled with such useless cretins. Still, the recent events were making this originally boring mission sound rather interesting.

Cloud Strife had elected himself to be the bodyguard of the girl. It was curious; all files on him suggested that the former Soldier was a sociopath who only chose his company by how much use they had to him.

Aerith, the target on the warrant, posed no use whatsoever. Tseng would be interested by this development, but it also caused a thorny problem. The Turks were responsible for the shutting down of the Genesis file, which included isolating the girl from any of the group, so she could not blow the history of her former squeeze into the open. Now that was a danger, but only so long as he let her escape.

"Enough!" He shouted with a huge roar. "Why didn't you idiots shoot him? He declared himself an enemy of the Shinra; you know the President's orders, any rebel is to be hunted down and shot!"

"But sir..."

"SHUT UP!" Reno shouted as he slammed the silver baton in his right hand across the speaker's face. Having had all consciousness knocked from him the guard fell through a nearby pew and did not move.

"If you didn't already know the price of failure, then you bloody well know it now!" Reno continued with a callous voice. "So get after the pair and arrest them already!" He ran on ahead before turning around. "But don't you dare tread on these flowers!" Full of rage he led the troops after the targets

* * *

Aerith had led him from the large domed church hall into a much more unusual back room. Above his head Cloud saw a large wooden platform that mirrored the first level of the spire in that it surrounded the upper level of the room. Craning his neck as he followed the fugitive, Cloud saw no way out.

"This was a stupid idea! There's no way out!" He called as the pair rushed forwards, desperate to put some distance from the chasing Shinra pack and themselves. Instinctively he hurdled a fallen pillar and collected his feet as the wide entrance path narrowed to less than half its size. Glancing over the edge Cloud saw that a circular pillar which had stretched as high as the church spire had collapsed to form a leaning ledge down to the very ground floor.

Cloud realised that it was some form of basement level, a floor would have originally been set above it, but evidently the church had long fallen into disarray. It gave him little hope of escape; everything had already crashed down around them. Any concealed exit would more than likely be buried beneath a pile of wooden beams and rubbish.

"There's a way out Cloud; you opened it up," Aerith announced as she led him towards the centre of the room.

Cloud's face flushed red. "You're joking. You want to go out through the roof?"

Aerith nodded and he was about to turn around when he heard the booted footsteps behind them. "No point turning back now; stupid or not, it's our only chance! Come on!"

His eyes turned to the only way up. There was a wooden staircase that drifted down from the upper platform. It was an old fashioned one made from wood; rickety looking beams transferred the weight and pressure to the ground level, somehow keeping it stable. At the bottom of the stairs was a small ledge. As Cloud gauged the distance he saw it as little more than a lip, rather than a ledge. He took a deep breath and began to run for the edge, when he felt Aerith tug his arm and stop him.

Angrily he turned back to her, ready to berate her for slowing their escape. When he saw that she pointed at a thin wooden beam that straddled from their ledge to the small lip. Cloud flashed a grin and yanked her after him. Swiftly they ran over the beam, ignoring the swaying sensation as their weight threatened to the throw the flimsy platform to the ground level. Once on the other side, Cloud kicked heavily at the edge and sent it spiralling to the floor below.

Not looking back, the pair dashed up the stairs and turned back on themselves, before they saw that the fallen circular shaft had smashed the platform. Frantically Cloud looked for a way across when he saw the silent bell above him. While the ringing had long given way to silence, the rope still looked strong. Swallowing any fear he had, Cloud rushed to the end and before he could be stopped he leapt over the edge and into freefall.

Cloud felt sudden terror strangle him as he gripped tightly to the rope of the church bell. The world around him spiralled and twirled like a maelstrom. The warrior forced calm upon himself and he bided his time before leaping clear again. As if he were a dancer Cloud twirled through the air to land in a low crouch, his palm resting on the flimsy wooden boards.

"Come on Aerith! This is the only way to the roof." He watched and inside his head he heard himself pleading for her to grab at the frayed rope from beneath the bell. But in her eyes Cloud saw fear rising like an angry tide. He held out his hand, gently beckoning her across. The young woman shook her head though and he cursed loudly.

"I can't Cloud! I'm afraid…" She cooed softly.

"Aerith look at me!" He ordered as she began to look down through the gap. "Trust me; this is the only way out. You don't want them to get you right?" She shook her head. "Then show some faith. I'll be here to catch you."

As the mysterious woman clenched her fists and began to run forward, Cloud felt his heart expand in his chest. For a second he believed she was going to make the leap of faith, when suddenly a burst of gunfire forced her to her knees.

"Don't let the bitch escape!" The commanding Turk ordered harshly. "Or I'll feed ya both to the gorilla in cell block D."

For ten seconds the shower of gunfire continued, Aerith edged back to the edge. Cloud shouted and screamed for her to lay flat on her stomach while he came back for her. But the terrified woman failed to hear his orders and her blind terror forced her ever closer to the brink. Suddenly a rotten floorboard shattered under the pressure and she gave out an ear perforating scream as she bailed from the lip of the platform.

"Aerith!" Cloud shouted desperately as she began to freefall towards the very bottom of the church.

* * *

Inside her mind Aerith knew that she was going to die, the chance meeting with him only a brief light in the darkness of her time in Midgar. She felt at peace as she descended through the floors; it would be good to have left a mark on the world, but her kind had always preserved rather than created.

She yelped suddenly as the leaning pillar caught her fall, a flaring agony snatched across her back like a demon's talon. Hope replaced the calm realisation of death. Her body rolled over twice as she hit bumps in the shattered column, before she finally spiralled free, like a carpet pushed down the stairs, to land on her back within the basement level of the church.

Above her a sharp minded guard leapt from the ledge and landed crudely, giving Aerith a vital second to clamber to her feet. The pair stood opposite one another, only seven or so paces between them. Unconsciously Aerith let her hand drift over the small metal baton that hung on her waist.

"What a rubbish choice," The guard began mockingly as he advanced towards her. "Midgar sells guns, swords and grenades; typical of a gentle flower seller though, you choose a rubbish metal stick no bigger than my forearm. What use is that little girl? Get on your knees and I'll show you mercy!"

Aerith feigned her eyes widening in fear. "I'm sorry, please, I beg you… Don't hurt me." She pretended to plea as she made to drop to her knees. The guard smiled at her and reached for his handcuffs, releasing his grip on the machine gun. Aerith watched him constantly; when the hand came loose she smiled. The confused guard looked on as she twisted the haft of the metal baton with her right hand.

The figure didn't see the next moment happen, he felt a sharp pain in his mind as the pole shattered his teeth. Behind Aerith the pole smashed through a pile of debris. All around the church was a tangible silence, created by the stunned shock of the gathered people.

Unlike any other staff, Aerith used one that could extend or contract under the command of its master. One moment it would be just six inches long, the next it could be five feet long.

As she twisted the staff back into place and began to run clear, the silence rescinded and instead an air of anger and adrenaline coursed through the sanctuary.

With the spell broken, one of the guards began to fire blindly. Aerith dove desperately and crashed to a stop behind some sandbags. She cowered as the bullets repeatedly clashed with the other side of the bags; fortunately the sand prevented any of the slugs going all the way through.

Suddenly one guard collapsed in a heap as Reno slammed his own truncheon against the victim's temple.

"You idiots!" He shouted angrily. "I told you not to let her escape; when did I tell you to fucking kill her?" The two last standing guards nervously shook their heads. "Exactly you morons! Stop her, but don't you dare kill her!"

* * *

Cloud had felt the nerves shrink as Aerith played her hand. First she spoke of peace and ease for flowers growing and the next second she pulls out a weapon that had been a myth during his time in Solider. He still couldn't believe that she used it, a cudgel. Not only had she used it, but shown unbelievable control over something that really had no rules or past manual on training.

Unlike a sword or gun, this was a weapon that was rare, possibly even unique. He wondered how could she have mastered it? It was a question that bothered him but he slipped it to one side as he watched her move below. Having received their bollocking from the Turk commander, all the guards had resorted to spread fire in the hope of making her think they would go for her. It was a good strategy, make your opponent become so bogged down with fear that they drop to their knees and give up.

But Cloud knew that Aerith wouldn't do that, she had spoken too much on her not wanting to go with them for her to throw in the towel now. He just felt useless up on the higher level; as a close quarter fighter he could only help up close, and this played into Reno's hands. Some bodyguard he turned out to be; how often is it that the client had to protect themselves? Unable to answer, he focused on being ready to jump in when she needed him.

* * *

Aerith could feel herself getting tired as she climbed up the ladder, constantly ducking against the rungs to avoid the spread fire of the guards. As she reached the lip she rolled herself over and lay on her back for a moment. As she gathered some air one fast moving guard ran across the platform that was level with hers and suddenly fired a stream of bullets at the spots in front and behind her.

Aerith yelped and instantly sank to her knees, if she advanced on either side the guard had her in a prime position to be shot. South-west of her, Aerith heard the second guard run and make a leap across that chasm that Cloud and she had originally used the wooden beam to cross. Her head drooped lower as the footsteps slowed and she heard the handcuffs being opened.

"Aerith Gainsborough, on behalf of the Shinra security forces I hereby place you under arrest. You have the right to remain silent, but anything that you do say…" Aerith heard the voice drone on without the words forming in her mind. All she was aware of was that she would have to go with those she feared worse than anything else…

* * *

Cloud cursed as he saw the scene play out beneath him; this was the last thing that he'd wanted. He didn't blame Aerith for dropping down where she had, Reno's orders might have been to not see her killed, but who knew what the guards would do if she ran on? He didn't think she'd be one who'd withstand being shot in the leg that easily.

He desperately looked around the place; he needed to get rid of the sniper, at least that would give her a fighting chance. His eyes darted about the area frantically, hoping to seek out anything he could use against the man who had her pinned. Away from the ledge he saw a support beam for the roof hanging loosely; it was a long piece that easily covered a distance between two floors.

A wry smile filled his lips before the soldier ran to the ledge and leapt outwards, aiming to clear the ledge and land on one of the light beams. Halfway through the flip, Cloud unleashed his sword and swung it through the rotten beam. Instantly the wood shattered and it naturally fell in an arc that was similar to a pendulum. Cloud checked his landing on the beam before looking down towards the kneeling shooter.

The guard was oblivious to the motion of the beam, his concentration so sharp that he did not even hear the creaking of the shaft. It completed its arc and smashed through the ledge where he knelt; crushing his body against the wall. As the beam swung back into the open air, the deadweight sank towards the lower levels and was impaled by a mound of debris that had formed from an earlier collapse. Cloud grimaced at the scene before he leapt back towards the ledge he had come from.

At the sound of the collision, the guard who had initiated the arrest of Aerith glanced away. His eye contact had only been broken for a millisecond but she exploited every last bit of it. She flipped the haft of the baton vertical and twisted the baton swiftly. The extension crashed against the guard's chin and sent him flailing backwards down the stairs. She listened as he clawed groggily at the wooden slats, but unable to fully comprehend his surroundings, the man flailed over the lip to the basement level.

Free of the arrest, Aerith set off for the higher level where Cloud was. As she rounded a bend a ball of fire smashed against the wall and she skidded to a stop. On the level beneath them Reno was twirling the truncheon around elegantly, like a sorcerer's wand, causing the balls of fire to continuously collide with the wall.

"Show faith!" Cloud shouted in encouragement; at his words a ball of fire was flung his way. The solider ducked back and let the projectile crash against the ceiling. Ahead of him, Cloud saw Aerith rushing straight forwards; he made to swing the bell rope when he saw Aerith aim the cudgel down through the gap where it swung.

She shocked him by twisting the haft and extending the staff down to a beam below them. Using the metal weapon like a pole vault she sprung through the air like an athlete. Halfway through the motion, she twisted the haft back and shrunk the weapon, before she was caught by Cloud on the other side. Swiftly they darted along the central beam of the roof towards the opening.

Beneath them Reno frantically continued his fireball assault, hoping to make them dive for cover and surrender, but the ploy failed and with a curse he made through the archway and back into the streets of Midgar.

Free of the threat from below Cloud led Aerith along a beam that pointed in a diagonal direction. The main church with the shattered pews and unusual flower bed directly below it. Once under the opening, Cloud jumped up and grabbed a protruding wooden shaft and used it as leverage to climb up. Lying down on his stomach he reached a hand out and pulled Aerith through with him. Sighing heavily the pair made their final climb before they were out of the church and into the night air of Midgar.

* * *

He felt rage course through him as he stalked the highway. The boss would be furious; that was two leads down the toilet thanks to the useless retards that he'd been burdened with. It was a call he didn't want to make; failure was not in the design for a Turk. But he couldn't lie about it. The Turks were part of a department who were trusted to investigate and comb over lapses of discipline; Shinra would know when one of their own lied.

"Who do you need to be connected with?" Came the stock and overly-happy response from a receptionist who – truth to tell – didn't give a damn.

"Commander Tseng of the Turks division." Instantly he heard the voice of the receptionist go to silence, to be replaced by a monotonous tune that was designed to calm people down. Of course it didn't work; it served to make him even angrier. Unfortunately the Shinra were too busy making money to spend it on something that sounded even remotely decent.

"Tseng speaking," the recipient answered in a soft voice at the other end. Reno was forced to stifle his laugh; he had no idea why his boss sounded like a metrosexual in such a position of authority.

"Hey, Tseng, Reno here. I led the guards to the church and the Ancient was there, but she escaped." He wasn't bothering to beat around the bush; there was no point when the report was that brief.

"How, Reno? You had four men! She's far too weak to slip through all of you! So how in God's name did you manage to screw this up?" Tseng's tone had become much sharper with the news. To say he was angry would've been an understatement.

"She had help. And not just from the useless pricks you saddled me with either. Apparently, she's got a bodyguard." Reno spat the last word like he had a bad taste in his mouth.

"Bodyguard?" Tseng asked clearly surprised. "Our surveillance has shown she has no friends, not since her former interest disappeared in the fallout of the Genesis incident. This is a development we were not anticipating Reno; is it anyone we know of?"

"Oh yeah, you're gonna love this one slick," Reno responded contemptuously. He knew Tseng was gonna need a new pair of trousers after this little revelation, and that was putting it lightly. He smirked sardonically at the thought. "His name's Cloud Strife."

"CLOUD!" Tseng shouted in outrage. Reno was forced to pull the receiver away from his ear, but the damage had already been done; the appendage was ringing slightly. Cursing, he switched the phone to his uninjured ear while wringing out the other with his fingers. Tseng apparently took no notice of this. "Did it look like they'd discussed anything?"

"Not yet. Think he was too busy doing some of that bravado 'I'm a hero' crap! Didn't say zip about the project, but gotta say, he wasn't gonna let us take her. Not with the way he stopped us, that's for sure. Look's like the Ancient's working with that lot now. The morons must be real needy to have her join up."

"If she's joined up, she'll eventually lead us to their hideout," Tseng said, resolve sounding in his voice. "In the meantime, this report will have to go to the President. I'll handle that. For now, join up with the others on floor 67, out."

As the line cut dead with an unapologetic click that echoed in Reno's good ear. Slamming the receiver back onto its hook, the Turk then angrily shot a fireball out into a nearby collection of barrels, causing some left over oil to ignite. He smiled at his handy work before he walked away from the scene; the out of control fire matched his mood perfectly. No doubt the suits would blame this on him, but there were perks to being a Turk after all; for one thing, they were never under the kind of constant threat any other operative was. The President liked their reliability too much to care about a little slip up like this.

"Plus she's a soft woman," he announced to himself. "She doesn't have the sense to make best use of her luck."

The Turk smiled, before dashing for a train to sector one.

* * *

The pair had laid flat on their backs atop the church, each sucked in huge amounts of air that they had lost in the pursuit below. After five minutes they sat up but still decided to exploit the sanctuary, and the view that the escape had given them. On the main street below Cloud saw barely any movement. A pair of kids had come running along shouting about dirt and other stuff, but nowhere did he see sign of the Shinra and it bothered him.

"Looks like we got clear this time," Cloud announced suddenly.

"Heh…" Aerith added between breaths. "It looks they wanted me again."

Cloud stared at her in shock. "Again? You're telling me this kind of thing has happened before?" Aerith nodded. "What the hell is going on? What are they looking for?"

"I don't know," Aerith replied with a shriek of innocence. "For some reason they keep coming after me, I don't even know who they are. Apart from knowing they're with the Shinra."

Cloud nodded slowly. "Has there always been a guy in a blue suit?"

Aerith nodded at his question. "Though the man today is a stranger; I don't recall seeing him before."

"This is getting even more bizarre. I just don't get it. What aren't you telling me? Why's a flower girl so important?" Cloud asked in frustration.

"I am not lying Cloud! I don't know what they want!" Aerith bowed her head and began sobbing softly. "God help me…" She spluttered as the tears began to fall. "I'm terrified Cloud; I am so frightened by what they want to do to me! I just sell flowers! What's wrong with that?" She shrieked as her crying worsened. Cloud beckoned her closer and she rested her head against his left shoulder, tears dropping into his uniform.

"Hey it's ok," Cloud replied in a soothing voice. "Look, you don't know right?" She nodded while wiping her eyes. "I'm your bodyguard ok? So trust me; they won't get to you, not without going through me first, ok?"

"Ok." She sniffed the tears back; at least she was starting to calm down. "I'm sorry; it's just getting to me. I just want them to go away! Who are they anyway? You know, aside from Shinra."

"Ah that's easy!" Cloud replied swiftly. "They're the Turks. Don't let their suits fool you; they aren't exactly gentleman, especially not that guy. The Turks are a division who do the dirty work for Shinra. Spying, murder, torture… You name a pie and their finger's in it."

"They look like it, but what do I have to do with Shinra's dirty work?" Aerith pleaded suddenly.

Cloud shrugged. "Your guess is as good as mine. Do you remember seeing anything a bit out of line from the Shinra guards? Like a random civilian being beaten or something?" Aerith shook her head. "You must dig flowers up right? You haven't found anything unusual in the grass at all? Like a weapon or an I.D. badge?"

"No Cloud! I promise!" Aerith announced with a vigorous shake of the head.

"Then I have no idea; it could be that they mistook you for someone else. Either way, they have you on their list, and they won't stop 'til they catch you. You're not up for that, right?"

Aerith shook her head in response. "Then let's get out of here; less time we spend loitering is less time they have to hunt us down."

Before she could ask any more questions, Cloud had leapt to his feet and rushed to the edge of the church roof.

Midgar's slums were often described as being built from the scrapheap of the upper plate. At the edge of the roof Cloud could see why; there was a pile of all kinds of useless garbage that seemed to stretch for at least another thirty feet above it.

It was convenient though; Cloud didn't trust the streets (not with the chance that the Turks could still be combing the area) and a mountain of junk provided numerous easy hiding spots should there be a security sweep. Calmly, he vaulted onto a large girder that stuck out from the pile and ran along it. Ahead he could see a large space in the centre of the mound. He didn't want to get caught in the open space, so instead he turned north-east, behind him he heard Aerith slowly following.

The pile was formed from literally anything and everything. It was as if someone on the upper plate had decided they needed a huge clearout of everything that lay at the side of the road. Cloud lost count of the number of road signs, drain pipes and burnt out cars that had all compressed together to form a totally man made mountain. Carefully he strode up the bonnet of one car remnant and stood on the roof.

As he cast his eyes in all directions he failed to see any security sweep going on, but he was still untrusting of the area. It didn't make sense for the Shinra to not form roadblocks or start random I.D. searches; the way they were handling this escape bothered him. It wasn't like them at all.

He heard a noise behind him and instantly swirled around to find himself staring at Aerith, who had her head down as she gasped for air.

"How… Do you climb… So fast?" She asked between gasps for air.

Cloud chuckled as he looked at her. "I served in the war; we had to run miles over terrain like this with a heavy supply pack. Sorry, I didn't mean to leave you behind."

She shook her head. "It's ok…" Aerith cut in as her breathing became more controlled and rhythmical. "I knew you were special, Cloud. So tell me; did you serve in Soldier?"

Cloud's eyes widened in surprise and he placed a finger on his chin. "First the Turks are looking for you, and now you ask if I am in Solider… Are you sure there's something you're not telling me?"

She violently shook her head. "Cloud, I promise I am not hiding anything, but please tell me."

"Yeah I was," He replied nonchalantly. "I served for about three years. How'd you know?"

"You're eyes told me," She answered soothingly. "They're strange eyes that glow with a green twinge on the edges. They're almost unique; a legend amongst the slums. Everyone talks about cowering from those in the black uniforms with sparkling eyes; they're talking about Soldier, the elite of the Shinra."

Cloud pondered her answer and knew there was more. "I'm surprised to hear people say that; it was an alright job, but I quit a long time ago."

He conceded that she wouldn't talk now; he had to gain her trust in order to know the truth. "But it doesn't matter; the main thing right now is protecting you. At the church you asked me to take you home. Is it far?"

"No, it is the only town in Sector Five. It's somewhere to the north; all the houses point inwards, and mine stands out because of the garden next to it." She answered softly.

"You ready?" Aerith nodded, "then let's be going."

Quickly he led her away and over the mountain of metal.

For the next two hours, the pair carefully made their way across the mound of unwanted junk and scrap metal. Cloud purposefully kept his pace as slowly as he could manage to accommodate Aerith though, unfortunately, her incessant whining was beginning to take its toll. She continuously complained about their surroundings; how it stank (it was garbage after all) and the length of showering she would have to put up with in order to remove the stench from her skin, hair and clothes. Cloud ignored her to the best of his ability, but each complaint brought them back to the same argument that had originated since they had last spoken; Aerith seemed to be under the impression that the Turks and guards were long gone by this point and that it was safe to return to the open expanse of road below.

Cloud told her pointedly to be quiet every time the subject was breached because he knew better; the Shinra controlled the city – they practically owned Midgar. Who knew what methods they had at their disposal to spy on them?

He knew the answer to that, which was why he knew that the course they were taking was the smartest one.

Now, as he lay over the settlement below, he felt his nerves frayed on edge again. Aerith had not been wrong when she had mentioned the placement of houses in the Fifth Sector; all houses were built so they faced internally in one big circle, so that they all had a perfect viewpoint of each other. While Sector Seven had been designed like a classic two sided street with houses going in one direction, a total of nine houses had been built adjoining to the other in a circle shape that formed at the very heart of the town square, almost like they were utilizing a means of protecting one another. All the way around the houses were pathways that were stalked by the locals.

On the other side of the path - at totally random intervals - were other primitive homes. Cloud's eyes had been initially arrested by the sight of a man living in literally a pipe, with no door or anything on it to remotely make it look like a home. He had quickly spurned the vision and instead surveyed the rest of the settlement.

Like the central houses, there were others scattered in a circular shape further out from the core. Sort of like an outer ring that protected an inner sanctum. A rusted and weathered motorhome stood motionlessly in the corner of the town square with its draping cover exposed to the air. To the right of this was a house constructed solely from wood, while a rare two storey property stood further along the circle to right, built from gathered metal shutters that had probably once guarded a corner shop.

In the far north-east corner of the village was one house that didn't fit the mould of the local settlement, and it caught Cloud's attention with ease. With the low light that Midgar offered the slums, Cloud could not be completely sure, but from a distance it looked like it was built from some form of greyed stone, with wooden beams exposed all along it. It definitely looked like it would withstand a lot more than the other flimsy houses.

At the sight and mere thought of the structure, a memory of home crossed his mind. For the briefest of moments, he suddenly felt saddened; the feeling of nostalgia almost overtaking his thought process. Fortunately, he had the mindset to shake his head of such feeling and he turned his focus solely onto the task at hand.

With the house detached from the rest of the settlement, it made his plan to get in a little trickier than he would have liked. The absolute last thing wanted to do was walk into a strange town unannounced accompanied by a wanted person. He cursed at this; while Aerith had proven that she could handle the rough paths, she was getting worn thin. It was obvious that she wasn't quite used to a trek like this, and he worried about her being able to cover the last part of the journey. He scowled at the people who gathered around braziers for warmth; no he definitely didn't trust this place. Not one bit.

"We can't just walk on in, it's too risky." He announced coolly, the voice withdrawn and flat.

"What's wrong Cloud?" Aerith asked innocently, before sighing in understanding. "I think you're worrying too much; we would've heard something by now if those Turk guys were onto us, wouldn't we?"

Cloud silently cursed her naivety. "Don't be stupid," He snapped back sharply; Aerith recoiled as though she'd been slapped. "The Shinra would never want anyone to know they were coming for them; they'd use someone who knew what they were doing, otherwise they wouldn't have a chance of capturing anyone now would they?"

Aerith narrowed her eyes. "In case you haven't noticed, Cloud, I'm not a child. Nor am I stupid. What I meant was that they'd have to put out a patrol or something. If anything, the place should be swarming with Shinra people by now, but the place is empty. Thus, they're probably not even here. You're just being paranoid."

"Aerith, I understand the point you're trying to make," Cloud said, barely restraining his patience. He ignored the last bit of what she'd said, cursing her naivety mentally instead, "but the only reason we haven't seen anyone around is because we've been travelling over a junk pile."

She went to argue; no doubt to point out it had been his idea and further prove her own, but he didn't allow her the opportunity. "Yes, we would've seen something from our vantage point, but the point is that not everyone who works for the Turks wears a dark blue suit or a guard's uniform."

Her eyes sank at the suggestion. It was obvious she hadn't thought about the possibility of what he was trying to elude. "Cloud, no; that's impossible. They wouldn't, the people in the sector would never spy on me!" Paranoia flared in her words and Cloud urged her to the ground. For a minute he didn't speak, ensuring that she was not going to explode into a panic attack, but this didn't stop her. "They hate Shinra; I've heard them say it time and again, and no amount of gil would make them work for them!"

"Listen to me very carefully, Aerith," he said; his tone had dropped a few degrees and Aerith shivered unconsciously. "I was in Soldier; I know the Shinra better than you ever could or ever have, so if I say that there will be spies amongst the people of Midgar, then there are spies here. Yes, even in this Sector. We can't take the risk of being clocked by someone who looks like a worthless drunk but is really a sleeper agent for the Shinra. Do you understand?"

At first she didn't reply. Cloud sighed heavily in response. "Do you understand?"

His tone had gotten sharper and, after another moment's hesitation, Aerith nodded silently. "Good." Cloud relaxed, knowing that they were finally on the same page. "Now this is what we're going to do; with the houses so close together we're going to literally climb onto the rooftops and silently make our way across them. When we get to the house that's nearest yours, we'll slip into an alleyway and run for it. You get me?"

She nodded again, silently. Cloud offered her what he hoped was a brief, encouraging smile. "Good girl. Listen, whatever you do, don't stop until I say so."

He suddenly turned his back on her and signalled downwards. "When I do that, you drop straight down behind the nearest object you see. Now then, let's not waste any more time. Come on!"

Cloud carefully climbed down a long pole that had become wedged in between the scrap. Luckily for the pair, their entry point was in a blind spot protected by the large advertising sign that had been forgotten amongst the rubbish of the sector. Coolly, Cloud directed Aerith down from the mountain of junk and safely onto the adjacent rooftop.

The roof had been made from numerous different signs and Cloud ensured that their progress was slow and silent. The last thing he wanted was for some child to run to their mother because a monster was storming across their roof. Cloud's eyes darted in numerous directions all the time. Out of the corner of his eye he saw a man in a dusty cloak turn from the motorhome towards the roof.

Instantly he signalled for Aerith to drop, and the pair slipped behind a crude chimney that had been built from different types of brick salvaged by the house owner. Calmly he raised his eye line slightly above the lip of the chimney and looked in the man's direction. To his relief, the fellow had looked away and focused instead on toasting some bread over a brazier.

Not wasting the opportunity, the pair advanced again. Beneath them a group of tramps were singing as they drank their liquor. Cloud smiled at this unexpected cover and led Aerith along the curve of the outer circle so that they were on a roof near enough level with her own home.

Wary of being spotted by the houses opposite, Cloud ushered Aerith over the roof to the back of the house where they used a pipe hanging from the gutter to descend to street level again. Cloud instantly dropped into a low crouch; behind him he heard Aerith mimic the movement, though she was unable to flex anywhere near as low. He gave a light chuckle before leading her on further.

At the end of the alleyway behind the house was a narrow stretch of road and Cloud patiently waited for it to clear before they rushed free of the darkness and towards the sanctuary at hand; they reached Aerith's home quickly.

Now up close to the structure, Cloud felt a sense of disappointment; the front of the house had been built from grey breezeblocks instead of the bricks he had envisioned. It bore almost no resemblance to the magnificent white stone of the houses from his own town, and he frowned at the thought. Still, he was impressed overall with the property; it was easily the sturdiest and most well built. The exposed wooden beams did seem strange when coupled with the dull grey of the concrete, but it still managed to give the house an elegance that belied its location.

The garden next to it was in surprisingly excellent condition; it was neatly arranged in a similar circular shape to the town square. Numerous different flowers had bloomed from the buds and it gave Cloud a sense of hope, regardless of his lack of understanding given their presence. It was strange that the wildlife flowed so freely at this particular place, where they didn't even thrive above the plate. A flower girl who grows her own merchandise within Midgar? The notion itself seemed highly unlikely and it made him wonder just what it was she hiding from him.

Aerith led the pair inside via the front door and Cloud was taken aback by the rustic nature of the interior. If the outside didn't make him feel at home, everything inside accomplished that feat. There was a rather large white rug in the centre of the floor, while in the far corner he spotted a huge cabinet that house many pieces of china plates and matching dishes.

The centre of the room housed a large mahogany table that could sit six people, while an open fireplace spewed heat into the room as flames disappeared up the colossal chimney. In front of the fire were a pair of rocking chairs that occasionally drifted backwards and forwards with the breeze that came from the window.

"Mom I'm home!" Aerith called suddenly. Unseen by Cloud was a narrow kitchen to the right of the entrance where a plump woman emerged; her hands still covered in suds (no doubt from standing in front of a sink). Her hair was short and as brown as Aerith's long locks, the green apron she wore around her middle was as every bit rustic as the low beams of the ceiling.

"Aerith! I was getting worried; you've been gone so..." The woman trailed off as she saw Cloud standing there with his arms crossed. "Who is this man? Why would... Oh no, don't tell me. You were chased again?"

Aerith nodded nonchalantly; it must've occurred so often that the after shock was virtually nonexistent. Unfortunately, the same could not be said for the mother. "Oh god!" She cried out while cuddling her daughter close. "You're not hurt are you?"

Aerith shook her head. "No Mom I'm fine. This man's name is Cloud. He's my bodyguard; he protected me from them."

"Bodyguard!" She shouted as Aerith introduced him. "How are you paying for this?"

Cloud raised his hand; no doubt she was concerned with money, it was obvious from her outburst just now. "Don't worry about that; this is a one time deal. Aerith helped me after a fall. I just happened to be there when they came for her and she asked me to protect her. I wouldn't make much of a patient if I handed over my healer would I?" He added casually.

"Thank you so much!" The mother added with a bow. "I'm Elmyra by the way. It's really very nice to meet someone with a big heart like yours; most people around these parts would've just turned a blind eye instead."

She turned her attention away from the former Soldier and addressed her daughter. "I need to take a quick lie down. Will you be alright down here?"

Aerith nodded. "If anything happens, Cloud'll be here; it'll be fine."

Elmyra accepted her reasoning and departed silently up the stairs; her hands were shaking worse than the curtains in the breeze. Cloud could tell that the numerous encounters were taking its toll on her sanity.

"I love my mom so much." Aerith added with a happy sigh.

"And so you should," Cloud commented. "It's rare that someone gives you love and care unconditionally; it's much better to have someone like her by your side," he gestured in the direction Elmyra had gone, "than someone like me."

Aerith shook her head. "I doubt that Cloud, and you shouldn't believe that either; not even for a second. You're a good man. Don't let what anything people say get at you." She laughed at the look he gave her before sighing almost abruptly. "But what're you going to do now that I am back here safely? It ends our deal right?"

Cloud nodded. "Yeah, it does."

He quickly considered not telling her before deciding that there would be no harm in her knowing. "But I do have to get to Sector Seven. There's a bar called Seventh Heaven there; I need to check up on someone over there; see if she's alright."

"She?" Aerith asked, blinking in surprise. Cloud realized he'd caught her off guard.

"Yeah," Cloud said uncertainly. "Her name's Tifa."

"So you're friend's a girl," Aerith asked slowly. Cloud nodded at her strange question. "Is she a girl…friend?"

Cloud stared at her for a moment before he finally caught onto what she was asking him. He shook his head furiously. "Oh no, she's a comrade, nothing more, nothing less."

Aerith giggled furiously. "There's no to get that defensive!" The words were almost indiscernible through the laughing fit she was having at his expense. Cloud simply sighed and waited for her to calm down, and after a few moments she regained her composure. "Well, that's nice. But you're not from around here are you? Do you know the way back?"

Cloud scratched his head. "Not really, but if someone gives me directions I'll find my way easily enough."

"I thought so," she answered with a stifled sigh. "It's easy to get there; the easiest way to get to Sector Seven is to go through Sector Six. It's quite a long walk. Going alone is bit risky though if you haven't been there before."

She trailed off and Cloud had a sinking feeling he knew what was coming. "Hey! I'll tell you what. I still owe you for saving my life, so I'll take you to Sector Seven."

Cloud shook his head. "No. You are safe here; I'm not getting you into any more danger than you're already in with the Turks."

She placed her hands on her hips. "You don't control me!" She spat in reply. "It's way too dangerous to go on alone. Besides, I know the ins and outs of the Sector; I have a safe way of getting back here. But you need to get through, which is going to be a little tougher."

Before Cloud could argue with her, Aerith moved to the bottom of the stairs before cupping her hands over her mouth. At first he wondered what she was going to do, but it became apparent when she started shouting. "Mom! I'm taking Cloud back to sector seven!"

For a moment there was no reply, but when it passed, a thudding sound came from above before the sound of footfalls began to descend down the stairs, producing a petrified looking Elmyra.

"But Aerith..." Elmyra started to protest before she took a good look at her daughter. She shook her head dejectedly and sighed in exasperation. "Never mind; once you've got your mind set, there's no changing it, so I won't even waste my breath."

Aerith grinned at Cloud in triumph, but from the looks of it, Cloud didn't think Elmyra was done. She proved him right. "But I will say that it's getting far too late to wander out. If you have to go, then why not wait until the morning. It's already been a very long day for you both, hasn't it?

Aerith shrugged nonchalant; it didn't appear to be a problem with her. "I guess that's fair," she said in response.

"Good," Elmyra said and the panicked expression she wore softened in her relief. "But I don't expect our guest to spend the night on the couch. I need you to go make up the spare bedroom for Mr. Cloud."

Cloud watched Aerith head up the stairs and he suddenly felt very nervous. Elmyra hadn't taken her eyes off him since asking Aerith away and he felt like she was mentally ripping him into tiny pieces. He couldn't exactly blame her; he was responsible for sending her daughter out into dangerous territory again. He wondered if allowing Aerith to guide him was a mistake (despite the obvious fact that it wasn't his choice).

Deciding that the awkward waiting was going to slowly drive him insane, he opted to follow after Aerith. However, Elmyra stopped him. "Wait a minute."

Cloud had barely just gotten to the step she was standing on – which barely gave him enough room with his arms pinned at his sides. He didn't need to turn around to give her his full attention; she probably knew she already had it.

Elmyra faltered for a moment; it was almost like what she was about to ask of him was the hardest thing she'd ever thought of. "Listen... I want to thank you for helping my daughter; she means everything to me..." She faltered again and Cloud knew that there was more that she wanted to say. Part of him could guess what the words would be but he decided to let her spit them out.

"Look." Elmyra began. "This isn't easy for me since you did me a big favour in seeing to her safety. But you must know that the slums are too dangerous. I trust you to take her to Sector Seven, but I don't want to sit here for another day worrying that she will get caught, do you understand?"

Cloud nodded in response; he had figured that much after meeting her and seeing her reaction to the Turk's attempt of capturing Aerith. "I do."

"Then please, I need you to leave tonight. Without Aerith." Elmyra said. "I know it's selfish and rude of me to ask this of you, and though it is dangerous out there at night, I know you can most definitely take care of yourself. Don't hate me for making such a request; I just want to protect my daughter, even if it's from herself."

Cloud silently nodded and walked on past her. He didn't blame Elmyra for her request, he was actually thankful for it. Now he had a reason to go on alone and that suited him fine. Calmly he walked up the carpeted stairs and found himself staring through an open window that appeared to have moonlight shining through it. Like in the church he knew it was nonsense, but it gave the evening a sense of romance he hadn't noticed up until now.

"Cloud," Aerith called and he was immediately snapped from his transfixed state. Swiftly he looked to his right and saw her pointing at a single room at the very end of the landing. "This is your room for the night."

He nodded and walked forwards; Aerith walked past at the same time and leant in close. He stepped back and let her through. Briskly she walked on before turning back to him. "Goodnight," she called with a hypnotic twinge to her voice, before she turned tail and walked down the stairs.

Cloud quickly forced any advance she had made to the back of his mind and stepped into the room. It was a tiny bedroom which he could pace across in just three steps, though a long comfy bed was positioned against the main wall. The wallpaper of the room was a light shade of pink; not exactly catering to his gender, but he didn't mind it.

Closing the door softly, he turned out the light and flopped onto the bed, not bothering to change. His plan was simple; give the illusion that he had gone to sleep, and wait for a while – three hours ought to do it – before slipping out into the night. He could imagine Aerith's anger afterwards, but it would be Elmyra's job to deal with her after he'd gone.

But his body had other plans; as soon as his head hit the soft texture of the pillow, he felt weary and heavy. Before he realised what was going on, he had begun to drift into darkness...


	5. Dirty Business

Chapter 5: - Dirty Business

"I haven't slept in a bed like this in a long time..."

Cloud felt the voice come to him from the bottom of the darkness he found himself within. It was as if he were the little boy that had fallen down a well in a child's nursery rhyme. He had no idea where he was. The last thing he remembered was falling into a bed in the house of his saviour. Now though? He could have been absolutely anywhere, and it scared him

"Ever since that time..."

As the soothing voice emitted the words once again Cloud felt a sense of warmth course through him. The voice was his light, the shining beacon in the midst to bring him home. Home... He could feel the ancient memories calling out to him.

"Yeah..." Cloud echoed in a purring voice; he felt snug, comfortable, safe. He allowed the delightful cocktail of emotions to sweep him off his feet. Cloud felt the world twirl and dance into a vortex and before his eyes he took in the sight across a familiar and forgotten world once again.

Below him was the house, it was exactly as he recalled it. The thick rug in the centre of the floor was like some mountain creature that had been hunted that very afternoon. The house that his mother and he had once called home was a single storey building, somewhat dwarfed by the triple-tiered mansion of the Mayor next door. The central room had two large beds, and atop the one nearest the door was Cloud.

"I'm worried about you son," his mother called out from the distance. Cloud's bleary eyes saw that she was standing, as ever, by the large cooker in her apron, dusty with flour from the day of bread baking. "I am scared that you aren't looking after yourself. I mean, you were never the greatest cook, if memory serves me right."

"I'm alright." Cloud retorted; he was disinterested in the smothering words and busy bodied nature that she filled the room with.

"I think you need a girlfriend, Cloud. No seriously," it was obvious that she could tell he was sending her a sceptical look. "But not just any girl will do, obviously. Someone who can look after you would be perfect. Ah, I know. What you need is an older woman. That'd be the perfect match for someone like you." His mother filled her face with a large smile, unseen by Cloud. "I think that would suit you."

"I'm not interested." This time he had voiced his inner apathy vocally.

As the words spiralled from his tongue, Cloud felt the time and space shift in his head. He was relaxed and calm, yet equally nervous about where his mind and the sands of time would carry him next. He clung to the memory of his sleeping form.

He awoke with a start and found himself laid flat on his back, a thick patchwork quilt underneath him. The single pane of glass that served as a window in the room made him realise that he was not at home. Silently he pulled himself forwards so that he was sitting up straight on the bed.

He cursed himself quietly; he hadn't meant to fall sleep. He'd really only been supposed to delay his departure until he knew everyone was asleep, so that he would be to slip out into the night air of Midgar. The room was dark; there was no clock and Midgar's absence of natural light meant that he couldn't figure it out that way instead. Either way, he decided he'd over stayed his welcome and that it was time for him to get away here. He knew that Elmyra was right; Aerith was her daughter and he had no right to put her in danger.

Aware of his need to slip out without being noticed, Cloud dropped to all floors and crawled along the ground like a snake. The floorboards were aged and hard trod, so occasionally he felt a splinter press into his chest. Cautiously he removed any of the wooden spines before advancing.

Once at the door he painstakingly opened it, constantly stopping and starting after a few inches in order for the ancient hinges to not make any noise. As the door finally opened fully, Cloud took a slight risk and came up from his belly so that he was on all fours. Gritting his teeth, the mercenary advanced swiftly, but silently, until he reached the end of the landing and calmly turned onto the stairs.

As he reached the bottom Cloud breathed a sigh of relief before coming to the front door. As he wasn't coming back, he couldn't leave the door open. Near the exit he saw a ring of keys and thumbed through them all until one unlocked it. Stepping out into the sector he turned tail and locked it up again from the outside, before taking a risk and pushing the keys through the slot that granted the house its mail.

Cloud decided it was best that he didn't hang around, but at the same time he didn't want to risk being spotted by any guards. Coolly he went back into the alleyway that Aerith and he had used to get off the rooftops on their entry to the tiny village. Cloud knew that he could easily ascend onto the mountain of rubbish again, but, for once, he found himself taken in by Aerith's argument the night before.

From within the alleyways he had watched and listened for around five minutes and not a sound or soul disturbed the peaceful night. He truly was alone, and at the best opportunity to get away from the village. Taking a punt he walked into the main path of the town and walked around four homes before a blue light filled his eyes.

Without hesitation he ducked behind a large dumpster that polluted the air with the stench of leftover food that had decayed during the night. Hugging tightly to the cover, Cloud pinned his thoughts on listening for any movement. He could not check if the handle of his sword stuck out over the top of the cover. But if anything came his way, he'd have to kill it and run, hoping that he wasn't caught.

"... This is the news at 06:43 on Thursday; the main story this morning continues to be the aftermath of the second terrorist assault in the last seven days. As you are all aware the Shinra's Number One Reactor sustained severe damage to the core last week, and has only just begun to operate again, even though Shinra technicians confirm output is down at least 70%. The latest onslaught on the Sector Five Reactor dramatically reduces available power..."

For a moment Cloud listened to the incessant warble when he realised that the sound was coming from the same direction as the blue light. It was a heavy gamble; he was aware that it could be a lure but still he placed one hand on the hilt over his shoulder, ready for the quick draw. With a grunt he pushed himself to his feet and looked forwards, seeing nothing ahead, aside from the huge flat screen TV that had been set amongst the garbage mountain.

"... Early indications are that at least twenty-five people have lost their lives in the latest attempt, and another one hundred are feared critically injured. Like in the last attack, a coded message was received by a member of the Avalanche terrorist syndicate, a message claiming responsibility for the bombing. Last night Mayor Domino echoed the President's condemnation of the assault."

Free of the fear of arrest, Cloud casually walked closer before he sat down at a crude metal bench, built from what looked like girders in the reactor. Looking up he decided that he would take in all the details from the attack, judging by the bulletin, he hadn't lost days or weeks like he had thought. Also, he hadn't missed another pay cheque courtesy of a third mission.

His attention was instantly gained when the feed cut to what looked like a press conference. The Mayor had a look that belied any sense of authority or power; his brown suit as plain and dull as that of a travelling salesman and his constant waving of the arms reminded Cloud of a university lecturer. The Mayor did have one thing consistent with the authoritarian image of the Shinra though; he had a very large build. Cloud guessed he was at least sixteen stones in weight.

"I don't think I need to say anything more about the actual attack. All of you gathered here and all of you at home know the catastrophic impact this has had on Midgar. Well I say all of you, but there is one group of people who don't understand the catastrophic event, and that is the terrorists, Avalanche. Do you think that you intimidate us with these attacks? Do you think it hands you control? Do you think it makes this great city some pawn in your war?" A long pause followed the question.

"Let me, as Mayor of Midgar, answer those questions; no, they do not! We are a city of opportunity, a city of class and style, but more than this, we are a city of freedom! Each day people live their own different lives, each celebrating their own wealth and cultures. Each day more and more people flock to Midgar, the city that symbolises opportunity, hope and success for the future. You might have wounded us, you might have taken the lives of our family, you might have even brought us to our knees!" The man suddenly raised his left fist and shook it violently.

"But do not even begin think that this city has surrendered! Do not even begin to believe that you have won, do not elevate success over Midgar into your minds! Midgar is a united city, where two vast universes coexist to create a future of choice, of wealth and of community! Terrorists, understand this; Midgar might have been attacked, but Midgar will endure, Midgar will rise again, Midgar will triumph! "

As the speech ended a rapturous applause filled the sound waves and the Mayor performed a plethora of theatrical bows and ceremonious gestures. Cloud had been impressed; the small man - a figure no one really cared about - had delivered the speech and performance of his life. Truth to tell it wasn't all that man's hard work, somewhere an underpaid writer had scribbled furiously into the night, while a programmer had fit it onto an autocue.

But credit was given where it was due, and the Mayor deserved the credit he got for the delivery. Still, it made Cloud angry, and he suspected it had made Barret even more furious. Community and freedom did exist in Midgar, so long as you did exactly as you were told. Cloud understood this more than anyone due to his role in Soldier; numerous times people had gathered on the streets protesting against lack of food or the astronomical cost of fuel. Each time the Shinra had sent in an assault courtesy of Soldier and the Shinra guard to silence those complaints.

As the thoughts came to him Cloud spat on the floor; what was he thinking? The Shinra were not his enemy, they were Avalanche's enemy. Why should he care about how they ruled Midgar? It made no difference to him; no matter how many speeches they gave out, there would still be jobs for a mercenary to perform.

He strode free from the town at the centre of the Fifth Sector and found himself at a cross-road. Thinking back to when he freed Aerith from the church they had climbed over the scrapheap and emerged around the centre point of the village. Then he remembered that they had gone to the rear of the church and then turned tail, back to the left-side of the building - once on the rafters - in order to find the exit in the roof.

Realisation came instantly and he took the right turn to find himself staring at a high wall. It was a colossal concrete monstrosity that was easily fifteen metres in height. It was as if a huge mountain had sheered one side and it had come crashing down into the slums of Midgar. While the height was impressive the way it served as the border between sectors wasn't.

Often when someone talked of a border they expected some form of gate that had security checking documents and shining mirrors under cars for hidden bombs. Here though, it was totally different, and totally lackadaisical. Instead of a secure gate there was simply a hole, while they had attempted to make it reminiscent of an archway, it ended up looking like the aftermath of a grenade being tossed at the solid structure.

With the initial shock at the lack of control wearing off, Cloud strode towards the opening when he suddenly heard a noise behind him. He performed a swift pirouette and drew his sword, ready for armed combat but when he had fully turned around, he found, to his amazement, that he was face to face with Aerith.

"Morning Cloud!" She chirped delightfully; she smiled brightly at him, showing her teeth. "You're up bright and early."

Cloud cursed silently. "What are you doing here?" He asked with an angry twinge in his voice.

"I promised you that I'd show you the way didn't I? I can't break a promise," she replied innocently.

Cloud rolled his eyes. "Listen Aerith, I appreciate that you want to help me. But it'd be better that you go home. I spent a lot of effort to get you out of danger yesterday, and if you come with me you'll be in worse danger."

"And why's that?" She replied swiftly, with a tone that suggested there was something he wasn't telling her; she was right.

"I can't get into that Aerith." He sighed heavily; the look she was giving him meant she wasn't about the drop the subject. "Look, all I can say is that if you think you're being hunted now, by tagging along you'll realise how little you have it. I'm telling you, go home, it's not safe."

"Cloud, don't lie to me," she said stubbornly. As she spoke, she shook her head, allowing her massive braid to swing back and forth like a pendulum. "Don't hide things either. Just be straight with me, please? Tell me why."

Cloud cursed in his head again. Aerith just didn't understand the rule of the slums; if someone doesn't want to tell you something it was best to not ask. Had he been any of the regular losers and dropouts that crawled from the filth each night; she'd already be dead. He made himself realise that she might be. What he was about to tell her could make the woman scream out for the guards. If she did, he'd have to kill her.

"Aerith, I'm heading for Sector Seven because that's where my current boss is. As I told you, I'm a mercenary. Do you know why I met you in Sector Eight?" She shook her head at the question. "Do you remember what you asked me?" She nodded but allowed him to go on. "And have you thought to even ask why I fell through the roof of your church, in Sector Five, just two days ago?" He paused for a while to let try and figure it out. It took her a while but soon she placed a hand on her mouth.

"Oh my god! You're with Av..." Cloud instantly placed a hand over her mouth and pulled her to a concealed part of the scrapheap. She fought vigorously for a few moments before falling still.

"That's right, I'm with them. Now do you understand? I protected you because I know what it's like to be hunted and I didn't want another person to wind up busted by the Shinra."

When he was sure she wasn't about to scream, he removed his hand from her mouth, but he wouldn't hesitate to replace it should she do just that. To his surprise, she didn't scream, but nodded instead. "I know that you're honest Cloud."

Cloud sighed in relief; it looked like she was finally beginning to understand, but what she said next banished that thought into next year. "Please, let me go with you."

He gasped involuntarily as he heard her question, but she didn't allow him to interrupt. "You're trying to stop them harming the Planet, Cloud. It's exactly why I plant flowers; I want to preserve this world, and the reactors are responsible for its destruction."

Cloud cursed; his plan had backfired, he wanted her to just go away, even if it meant she was terrified of him and his past actions. She couldn't run for long distances and didn't have the necessary training or experience for what they were doing; it made her a liability over rough terrain. But then he thought back to the church escape and remembered her handling of the cudgel; she had to have trained long and hard to have mastered that sort of weapon and perhaps she could get fitter as well. Plus he knew that Barret would approve of anyone who wanted to stop those blood suckers as he liked to call them.

"Aerith, this is your last chance. If you still decide that you want to come along then you're in it until the end of the line, as our leader would say. You'll be hunted far more than you ever have been. I admire your courage, but you'll be facing tough journeys and tough battles. Are you sure you're up for it?"

She nodded softly. "Then listen to me; we're going to Sector Seven. From this point on you're part of the group and you talk to no one unless ordered to; you get me?"

"I do Cloud," she responded confidently, "I won't let you down."

"Alright, for better or worse this is how it is. Let's go!" He announced, before the pair ran through the two and a half metre opening in the wall and out of sector five.

* * *

A loud concerto of wolf whistles and cheers echoed through the room like a shock wave. The air stank with the smoke of cigars, sweaty bodies and the occasional trace of semen. She forced revulsion out of her mind and focused instead on the part that she had chosen to play.

In the back of her mind the warnings from her team continued to reverberate around, but she had to do this. Somehow this dirty side of Midgar was involved with the next ploy of the Shinra; so far all they knew was that it involved the resistance. The man she needed to get to was a figurehead who had mentioned just one name, but instantly she knew how to get to him.

She rubbed her hands across the PVC top that had deliberately been chosen to amplify her breasts. Naturally the reaction had been strong from the mass gathered before her. She wore a small skirt that matched the top, one that she could flick upwards to reveal her underwear at will. Off the side of this hung a whip that seemed as if it could cut through steel and a pair of handcuffs that could ensnare even a lion.

Tifa forced herself to focus on being as sexy as possible; she dropped onto her bum and lavishly kicked her legs upwards. She blocked out all the drunken horny revellers that were drooling or worse at the sight of her thighs. Swinging her hips, she performed a capoeira style double spinning kick so that she was upright again. By now the whistling and cheering had reached fever-pitch.

The catwalk she performed on was a circular shape aside from a narrow platform that jutted out into the crowd. Tifa planned to use all of it, leaping into the air she grabbed at a long pole which stretched from floor to ceiling. As an audible gasp filled the room, she performed the splits and spun around the pole towards the floor as if she were an upside down helicopter.

Once on the floor of the platform she flicked her head back, allowing all the gathered men to jerk off over their assorted fetishes. Whether it was tight breasts or smooth long hair, she didn't care. She slowly drew her legs in and raised herself upwards so that her back was to the audience. The bewildered men soon began yelping like wolves as she reached down to touch her toes, forcing her rear against the pole provocatively.

She knew that she had them so walked astride the platform, instantly numerous hands grabbed out at her. Tifa snorted and stamped on the first one she saw, ignoring the squealing man she pulled out her whip and began to dance with repeated swirls of the hips, while at the same time allowing the whip to strike out and lash numerous members of the crowd.

For another two minutes her mixture of dancing and whipping continued before the music began to subside. Professionally she backed up the catwalk and performed a figure eight swirl of the whip before ending on her knees, back arched and head touching the ground. All of the revellers leapt to their feet in jubilation, before the numerous security guards began to herd them all out.

As soon as she got behind the curtains, Tifa felt the suppressed revulsion rise in her throat, unable to contain herself she ran into the nearest toilet cubicle and threw up. Twenty seconds later and she walked from the toilet to give herself a quick wipe down with some cloths. Once free of the mess, she reached for a small bottle of water and drained it in one swallow.

Suddenly there was a knock at her dressing room door. Nervous at the unexpected guest she tightened her right fist. If the newcomer tried anything on with her, he'd feel the true power that this dominatrix had at her disposal!

"Who is it?" She asked swiftly.

"I got a proposition for you," was the reply from a husky sounding voice.

Tifa's eyes narrowed. "It's unlocked, come in." She answered, all the while ensuring that her hands were free in case he dared try anything.

As the door swung inwards, she was greeted by the sight of the man who had announced the proposition. He was a large man who wore a pristine green suit, while a pair of blue trousers off set the look. He had red hair which had been spiked in a similar way to a punk, but what really stood out was that he wore a pair of ridiculous shades. They were colossal and easily covered the eyes, while bizarrely being shaped with triangular lenses.

"Got the right place, heh; you're the dancer right?" Tifa nodded at his question. "Excellent," was his reply in a husky tone that sounded delighted and lusty. Tifa felt her already thin thread of anger shed more precious fibres.

"What's your offer?" She cut in with a voice sharper than the end of her whip.

"Heh, dominatrix by name and nature," the man casually replied while sparking up a cigarette. "None of us have seen you around, so I figure you're a newcomer. Yet, you're way ahead of the sluts we normally see in this shithole. How long you been dancing?"

"You ask too many questions," she replied irritated. "I'm not your girl, so either get to the offer or get out!"

For a moment he was shocked, but after a second, he nodded. "Not one for talking? Should have guessed by how direct you were with the punters. My boss is Don Corneo, head of the biggest syndicate in Sector Six. He's real interested in what you do."

"This is not an offer."

"Oh it is! My boss wants you to be a major girl in his syndicate; he believes a good dominatrix will help his empire grow. He's offering big money," the husky man announced suddenly.

"I don't dance cheap; your boss Corneo better understand that. And if some man wants me to make him sing, the price goes even higher, you get me?"

"Heh," the figure replied, "people in Don's syndicate always dig. You got a choice, stay in this rat-hole of Sector Eight, or join the big league in Sector Six. Outside is a chocobo driven carriage; it leaves in five minutes, whether you are on it or not." The figure stubbed the cigarette out hard on a table before walking out of the room.

As she stood alone again, Tifa allowed the adrenaline to course through her. She needed the hit to calm her nerves. The man had been everything she had expected sleazy; rough and straight to what he wanted. She didn't doubt that Don Corneo would be the same, but this was the ticket that she had been hoping for. Shaking her head of the cobwebs, she flicked off the light of the dressing room and rushed to the exit of the grotty nightclub.

* * *

Cloud and Aerith had made getting into cover their priority once they had gone beyond the wall into Sector Six. Like the Fifth Sector, this place had an air of the incomplete about it. But where Sector Five was like a scrapheap that housed hidden gems for the dwellers to steal. Sector Six was like some forgotten transport project of the Shinra.

There were no homes built in this area of the sector. Instead the sector was one colossal road that stretched across a distance similar to that of the wall they had walked under. Cloud saw numerous painted markings that suggested around eight lanes of traffic were planned for the sector.

"This was meant to connect the slums to the plate," Aerith cut in suddenly. "Five years ago Midgar experienced an earthquake that caused all this to happen."

Cloud scanned his eyes upwards from the level they were hiding under to fully understand what she had meant. The road had literally split in numerous places, forming points where one part of the road was at least three metres above another section.

"It must have cost the Shinra a lot of gil; I guess they didn't want to keep making a loss building a highway when they had the trains. Still, this is dangerous."

Aerith nodded. "Ever since then, monsters and thieves have liked it here; that's why I had to come, you couldn't make it alone."

"Oh I don't know about that. But you're right; with all these sudden drops and climbs, it would make a perfect ambush site," Cloud added with a curse.

"We can use the drops to our advantage right? Like sneak along them?" Aerith suggested.

Cloud nodded. "It's our only real choice; there might be no one, and there might be an army. Either way, if we get spotted, be ready to fight ok?"

Carefully Cloud walked along the edge of the wall before he came to the end of the hollow. It was a strange place; the road had fissured in such a way that it created a concrete island with a pathway around it on three sides. The mercenary quickly lay down on his belly and picked up a nearby rock. Ahead of him he saw a wide mound of broken concrete.

Silently he threw the rock into the shadowed area behind the mound, there was no noise of surprise from a human, nor was there a shriek from a monster. Judging it to be safe, Cloud climbed into a low crouch before swiftly darting across the shattered road. Once in cover he signalled for Aerith to follow him; he gulped but swallowed his sudden apprehension as she emulated his crossing of no mans' land.

When she had ducked behind the cover, Cloud signalled for her to remain silent and slowly edged along one side of the large pile of debris. Moving as silently as the early morning fog, the former Soldier inched his way around, until he could see the other side of the trench in the road.

He saw no shadows, heard no sounds and felt no movement in the air. It seemed too easy, and he didn't like it. Ducking carefully, he signalled for Aerith to make a noise. Calmly she let out a low whistle which, to Cloud, sounded louder than a gunshot.

Nervously, the pair lay low to the road and listened for any movement. For a long minute all was silent. Aerith smiled thinking it was clear but the instant she went to move, Cloud growled; he was convinced more than ever that they were walking into an ambush. Cocking his head carefully around the side of the mass of debris, Cloud glanced at the sheer wall of the trench. It stretched all the way around the higher level of the road like a moat.

A sly smile suddenly filled his lips; as he motioned with two fingers he watched Aerith join him near the wall of the sector. Silently gesturing for her to remain still, Cloud advanced into the trench. It was like watching a fox darting to the side of a road for scraps; as Cloud darted towards the nearest sheer point while crouched. Once against the wall he took a deep breath, turned to face the wall, then leapt straight upwards and planted his feet in a pair of cracks.

Aerith watched as he clung to the face like some form of spider. As he arched his neck, she realised that he was trying to utilise his peripheral vision as a way of seeing over the lip. For a long minute he hung there still before he suddenly leapt upwards again. His sword swung out in two directions. Deprived of sight, she twisted the haft of her cudgel and vaulted high into the air, landing softly in the disused cab of a tall crane.

On the man-made cliff top, Cloud stood still, the blade of his glaive dripped blood slowly to the ground. Two would-be thieves lay dead at his feet, and ahead was the edge of the sector, brilliantly lit by the archaic street lamps of the sixth town. Aerith smiled wide and aimed down with her cudgel, vaulting over the gap between the crane and the ledge that Cloud stood upon

Cloud's surprise swiftly turned to shock. "What the hell are you doing?" He snapped sharply.

"But..." She began innocently. "You killed them Cloud, the danger is..."

"For god's sake!" He shouted as she began her feeble defence. "Listen! I could have deliberately killed them as a way of drawing out an ambush and beginning a strike against it! Unless I signal you into the fray, stay the hell in cover!" He ordered.

"But I..." She faltered as she felt her emotions begin to wobble. "I just... I only..." Aerith fell forwards and landed with her head on Cloud's shoulder, she began to sob.

For a long moment Cloud ignored it, before he placed his hand on her hair. "You don't want them to catch you right?" She nodded silently, the tears still flowing. "Then listen to me. I'm your bodyguard after all. I can't protect you, if you just leap into a fight like that. If I tell you to stay put, it means the danger is too hot to handle at the moment, you understand?"

"I do," she sniffed while drying her eyes. "But I just feel useless waiting to pick off the weak ones."

Cloud smiled. "Don't say that to a viper; it'd bite you in the ass! First strike is deadly, even deadlier when you wield it with no chance of them surviving! Now let's go!" He commanded cheerfully, and the pair moved towards the edge of the sector.

As he walked out of the shattered remnant of the Midgar expressway, Cloud found himself taken aback by the boundary wall for the Sixth Sector. On this side of the sector, security appeared to have been taken much more seriously; instead of a mere concrete wall that had a hole cut out of it, the entire wall had been built from thick steel.

While it mirrored the previous boundary in height, the sturdiness of it was much more obvious to the eye. The exit from the sector was through a gate that ended only three metres from the top of the wall. It was a gate that was coloured blue, while the rest of the wall was a mundane grey. The centre of the gate was jagged repeatedly, like a child's drawing of an earthquake. Cloud guessed that the gate split in two pieces, which would allow easier and swifter access from the Seventh Sector.

As he looked down from the border, Cloud noticed that Aerith had been more occupied by the unusual area they had come across. If, as Aerith had told him, the Shinra had planned for that to be some major expressway, then the last thing he expected at the edge of it was a park.

The floor was covered in sand that had mutated from the soft golden shade of the beaches to that of a sooty chimney. The park was fully kitted out to deal with the demands of crying children and mothers who wanted to gather with their friends. He saw bare and dilapidated metal frames that were the shadows of benches from the past, yet the actual playground toys had stood the test of time very well.

On the left side of the play park was a large A-frame that had four swings hung from thick chains. In a distant shade of his mind, Cloud could hear the ethereal echo of children giggling as the wind rushed at them when they swung outwards. The area was weird in that outside the sandy park was a pile of junk like in Sector Five; no parent in their right mind would have let their children play here.

"Ooh! I can't believe that it's still standing!" Aerith yelped delightfully, the cheery high-pitched shout snapping Cloud from his daydream. He turned to regard the source of her delight and found his eyes drawn to the very centre of the park.

What he saw was a slide that was about four metres tall. It had been designed with a young child in mind; the main carcass of the attraction had been shaped like an animal that somehow straddled the void between a hippopotamus and a cat. The body arched in a semi-circle that was around five metres wide, a cartoon face had been drawn into the front. The creature's eyes were wide open and aimed at the upper-plate, while the mouth was wide open about a foot below and from within the slide coiled out like a tongue.

"Cloud!" Aerith cheerfully called out, "come and sit with me for a bit."

At first he felt anxious to get back to the bar, but now he realised the time. It was unlikely that anyone would be up unless another mission was planned. Having weighed it up, he felt that there were a few moments that could be spared, so he rushed over, ran up the slide and vaulted onto the top. Aerith grinned as he sat down beside her.

"You're so full of life and vigour," she announced in a low voice. "All the training must make you active right?"

Cloud nodded. "We often got asked to leap into a situation without two seconds spare from sleep. We learned to fire ourselves up in the event of an emergency; it saved my life a lot during the war."

"I imagine it did," she replied while letting out a soft sigh. "Often the slums make me feel like being in a war. All these people fighting over nothing, it makes me so sad." She turned and looked straight into his eyes. "How high did you get? You know... In Soldier?"

"Well I reached..." For a micro-second a white light flashed through his eyes and he felt the fire of a settlement in the far north. Instantly it passed and he gazed back at her. "First Class."

She nodded before dropping her head towards her knees. "Just like him."

Cloud was surprised as she said the words. "Just like who?" He asked, wondering who a flower seller would know in Soldier.

"My first boyfriend," she answered with a sad tone of voice. "I last saw him five years ago; he said he had a big mission to go on. I tried to phone him but when he answered he said he'd come back... I haven't heard from him since, even after I wrote him all those letters."

"What was his name?" Cloud asked softly. She turned to regard him curiously. "Soldier First Class was a special rank; not many of us made it. I probably knew him."

She shook her head. "It doesn't matter."

Cloud felt the air grow heavy; he didn't know what to do. To be honest, it was unlikely Cloud would know him at all. After the war, Soldier got involved in activities all over the world; some never came back as their assignment was permanent. Aerith needed to have faith, but she bore the look of someone who had long since given up hope. He wanted to place a hand on her shoulder, to embrace her softly and tell her it would be ok. But he didn't have the right, nor did he have the courage.

For a long minute the silence endured until the gate behind gave out a colossal sound of a ratchet being released. Immediately Cloud pulled Aerith down from the top of the frame, and they both ducked down at the top of the slide. The mercenary levered his head up slightly so he just see over the lip. While at his side, Aerith coyly tucked her head further towards the wings and used the curvature of the frame to her advantage.

As the ratchets ceased, the noise was replaced by that of cogs and gears snapping into life. The jagged edges of the doors began to fissure before the rails on which they were stored released either side. Safe in their hiding spot, Aerith and Cloud held their breaths. For the mercenary, the last thing he wanted was for a Shinra advance guard to move through. If they did, he'd just have to hope that Aerith had the sense to follow his orders and get clear while he distracted them.

For thirty seconds they watched the doors creak backwards before they were greeted by the sight of something they did not expect to see. It was a large bird-like creature; it had yellow feathers that were similar to sunlight, it was so bright that Cloud expected he'd need to shield his eyes up close. It had a face and beak that reminded Cloud of cockerel, though it had a long plumed mane that stuck up in a way similar to a horse.

It stood on two long stalked legs that made the mercenary think of the ostriches that ran wild in the central continent. It was a creature that had been designed for running at speed over land; the rounded body was perfectly shaped to absorb the feathers. This meant the creature had little aerodynamic drag.

Unusually though, the creature was not running free like many would expect. Instead, it towed an ancient looking carriage, the shell of which was made from aged wood. Numerous curtains had been drawn to prevent onlookers from seeing inside, while the driver sat right up front protecting the exposed mouth of the carriage from ravenous eyes. Regal lamps hung from the exterior granting some light to darkened park.

As the carriage rounded a bend through an opening in a mound of scrap he felt his heart skip a hundred beats. Standing on the back of the carriage, her brown hair fluttering in the breeze, was his childhood friend.

"Tifa!" He called out, but the woman either didn't hear him or deliberately ignored him. Without a second word, the carriage had ridden into the mound of scrap.

"That girl was Tifa?" Aerith asked when the coast was clear.

Cloud nodded uneasily. "Yeah it was. Before you ask, no, I don't know why she came through here. It's the last place I expected our paths to cross."

"I was actually going to ask why she was dressed so... Dirty." Aerith cut in suddenly.

Cloud shook his head. "I don't know, but I intend to find out. I'm going after her!"

Aerith tugged on his arm surprisingly. "Cloud, listen to me. Through there is a place called Wall Market; a lot of folk in my town say it is where bad people trade."

Cloud's eye narrowed at her summary. "Then all the more reason to get looking for her. Come on!" Swiftly the pair leapt off the slide, and headed towards the opening in the scrap pile.

The name fit the area extremely well; it was at first like any traditional market that one was used to. There were still the large lanterns that lit the air romantically, while numerous multi-cultured banners were strewn from the large walls that formed the side of the market.

Yet, it was also totally different. Instead of being a colossal open air world that took over a vacant car lot or airfield, this was like a regular street. The marquees stretched towards the skies for around half the height of the sector wall. The sight brought the romance into check, no matter how regal people made the slums look, they would forever be in thrall of the upper plate and there security rules.

Ahead, in the centre of the street, Cloud saw a long hut that had numerous stools set into a bar that stretched the length of it. To the left of this was a marquee that had the word 'Inn' inscribed upon it in some ancient calligraphy. All the way along the appropriately named village he saw marquees and stalls peddling goods.

"She could be anywhere," Cloud muttered angrily. "We have to know why she was dressed like that."

"Dressed like what, sugar?" An ancient woman called as she stirred some soup mixture that was within a gigantic iron cooking pot that reminded Cloud of a fairy-tale witch cauldron.

"Err..." He faltered for a moment before deciding the country style might work best. "Well... She was beautiful Ma'am." The soldier began in a voice laced with a southern drawl. "She stole my heart with that tight dress and beautiful pose on the carriage."

The woman looked at him with a confused expression. "You know what? I think you need a drink to make you talk some sense boy," she spat while stirring the strange mix even more vigorously. "But if it is girls with pretty dresses, then perhaps you need to visit honeybee inn." She leant in close to him. "Find someone's card and you might get an invite to the sweetest table there is." The woman concluded with a wink, before ignoring him entirely.

Cloud turned around to find himself looking at Aerith. She had lost it during the conversation, his eyes rolled as she double over while giggling furiously. The warrior stood in silence, staring right at her to see how long it would be before she realised that her free comedy gig had ended. But she persisted in laughter for so long that he eventually had to stop it.

"This isn't that time for giggling," he cut in harshly. For five more seconds it continued before she coughed and wiped tears from her eyes. "All right, it wasn't subtle, but it gave us a hint."

She nodded. "Of course, stranger," Aerith countered with a deliberately bad redneck twinge. Cloud snarled and walked on, Aerith slowly followed behind him, giggling furiously all over again.

Cloud refused to say any more and simply walked on. He had no idea of where he was going, but decided it best to head away from the centre and give himself time to think it all through. The woman had seen right through him; either that or she thought that he was on drugs. If he was to find Tifa it would mean going deeper into Wall Market, he couldn't afford to be easily figured out by the traders and customers. If someone as unused to spying as Aerith could see through him... It was all too obvious anyone else could.

"Oh man... I don't know if I can do this... Poor Rika... But god... I haven't had any..."

Cloud found himself disturbed from his thoughts by the sudden warblings. He carefully scanned the area and found his eyes drawn to a solitary figure stalking around a tiny break in the road. The figure was a fat man who appeared to be somewhere in his mid-30's. Cloud wondered what had got him so worked up, it was like he was about to commit some form of crime and he couldn't go through with it.

"God she'll kill me... But... Oh shit... Come on..." Suddenly the figure looked up and saw Cloud stood in the centre of the road. "Hey! You think I'm gonna let you stand around listening in on what I have to say?"

Cloud pretended to look around for a second before he pointed at himself. "You talking to me? I thought you were talking to god."

The man snarled and pressed his face against Cloud's. "Listen here, shithead! Just because you've got a uniform on, don't mean I'm afraid of you. Now, you gonna jog on, or do I got to knock you out?"

Cloud's eyes narrowed. "Just try it, but when you're pulling teeth out of your sphincter, remember who did it." The words were voiced so chillingly that they could have frozen hell. To most people, they'd have been enough for them to swallow their pride.

The stranger in Wall Market was different. He threw a clumsy punch at Cloud, who sidestepped the move before hitting him with a backhanded left punch. The stranger stumbled right; Cloud instantly pressed his hand against the man's temple and pulled him to his left. The figure flew from his feet and through a wooden crate.

At that point Cloud stepped back and focused his facial expression into that of bored neutrality. The man stumbled to his feet and angrily shouted incoherent words at Cloud, who again tried to calm the situation by ignoring his prey. He leant back against the wall of a shop that had actually been built from stone rather than a simple marquee. Cloud hoped that his effortless disposal of the figure and completely neutral after effect would have stopped the fellow from doing something stupid.

It didn't work. The man ran at him full pelt and halfway through pulled a knife from his sleeve. Cloud thought fast and raised his right elbow into the air to block the stab attack. Instantly he thrust his head forwards and butted the man full in the face. As the figure staggered backwards Cloud grabbed the back of the man's wrist and twisted it savagely, snapping the bone audibly. The defence forced his assailant to release the knife. Cloud then alarmed everyone by gripping the underarm and effortlessly lifting the man into the air, before tossing him forcefully through a nearby window.

The warrior paid the man no further regard, instead he turned from the carnage he had caused and walked towards a nearby alleyway. As he rounded the bend he was tapped on the shoulder, he spun around expecting to see some guard, but to his surprise, Aerith stood there with a furious look on her face.

"You could have killed him!" She shrieked as he gave her his full attention. "The man might have attacked but you had already beaten him! There was no need to throw him through the window!"

Cloud shrugged. "The idiot tried to kill me; he's lucky to still be alive; most other people that have attacked me are dead."

"You're meant to be fighting them, fighting the people killing our planet; why is your heart so cold?" She pleaded.

"I said my job was with them fighting the Shinra; I never said I believed in their cause. It's what makes me so perfect for them. Everyone else fights to become a martyr, me? I fight because it's what I do best. I am a mercenary Aerith; once my contract is out, I walk away. Now come on, I want to know why that idiot was so interested in this place."

As he turned around and continued on his way, he didn't see the tears form on the flower girl's face behind him, nor did he hear her desperate pleas for him to see the nastiness in his words.

The dark alley had been banished by the bright neon lights so suddenly that Cloud was tempted to cover his eyes to protect them. All around him, he saw the blinking adverts of kicking legs, puckered lips and skirts fluttering in the wind. A little puzzled by the area he walked in closer, while he ordered Aerith to remain in the shadows and out of harms way.

As well as this he saw a solitary building that had been styled like a Western temple. It was a single storey building that was curved and rounded. It was only as he saw the name of the place did he understand why.

"The honeybee inn," he muttered; naturally the owner wanted it to look like a honey pot.

He swallowed any unease he had and instead put an illusion of focus and calm. All around him he saw various differing clientele; one man wore a dark blue suit and red hair, and at first he stopped to survey the man further until he was convinced that, by sheer luck, it wasn't the same Turk they'd run into before. In a corner, obscured slightly by a neon sign, he saw a Shinra guard passed out with a drink bottle by his side. At the front entrance two men bowed elegantly at him. One had been dressed like a Western tinker, while the other wore a black suit and shades like some form of bouncer.

"Respects to the President," the bouncer announced suddenly.

Cloud nodded. "He'll be grateful," he replied neutrally. "I trust that you are upholding the agreement?"

"Why of course! Our best apartments are available for Shinra use at a moment's notice, and all the best girls are available," the tinker cut in.

"That so?" Cloud asked as he raised his left eyebrow and crossed him arms. "We've got some Intel on a very hot broad that I especially want to try out."

The men looked at each other nervously and Cloud laughed darkly at the expressions on their faces. "Relax; there's no need to panic boys, I just want to know what is going on with that girl Tifa."

The bouncer grinned widely. "Why you're a fan aren't you? Way ahead of the pack, almost like you've had your eye on her for a bit eh?" The man shook his head suddenly, to Cloud's surprise. "But sadly she's a bit occupied right now; the Don has her in an interview at his mansion." The guy winked slyly. "Though I'll put in a good word for ya; the Don'll be more than happy to keep up his side of the deal."

Cloud nodded. "Good. I expect only the best results." Then he turned tail and walked free from the area briskly, not letting the facade of being a Shinra member drop until he was deeper into the alleyway.

"... Which's why she was dressed so tightly," Cloud concluded as he led Aerith on through the market. "The bouncer mentioned them upholding the deal, so obviously the Shinra creams some profit out of it."

"A sex trade?" Aerith asked in a shocked voice. "That's horrible! Those poor girls."

Cloud nodded. "Yeah, the underworld is a grim place. I doubt any of them ever escape it, but Tifa's trying to get inside it for some reason. It's more than likely a good one, but we won't know unless we find her."

As they continued the conversation, they'd walked further away from the Honey Bee Inn, and were nearing the only place that qualified as a mansion in the market. Cloud would've bet money that it belonged to the Don.

The structure was only two tiered, but it still managed to stretch up for around ten metres; the Don, it seemed, liked a lot of headroom while inside. For some reason, the man seemed to be heavily drawn to the culture of the Western continent. Cloud lost count of the gilded gongs, long silk draped curtains and gigantic naginata weapons that were stocked into weapon racks. The courtyard before the mansion had been styled in a similar fashion to a dojo, with a large fighting squared marked on the cobbled floor delicately.

It was artistic, elegant even; for a moment Cloud wondered if he had gone mad. But the truth was all too simple; the Don was a man who was dripping gil from his every pore. Unlike most of the merchants and gangsters, he wasn't loaning it out in the hope of making more money, he simply spent it.

Cloud's eyes were drawn to the front of the mansion. The doors were solid gold and had huge handles in the shape of dragons coiled up. In front of them stood a guard who had a machine pistol in a holster on his shoulder. Cloud cursed; this was definitely the place, and getting in would not be easy. Calmly he pulled back and signalled Aerith to follow him.

They both walked briskly into a nearby marquee that served as a bar. Calmly they looked at the wide space and saw many vacant tables. Cloud signalled Aerith over to a table at the back corner and looked at the entrance. For two minutes they did nothing, making sure that no one had followed them in. Once satisfied that they were alone, the pair began to talk freely.

"You think she's in there?" Aerith asked quickly.

"Definitely; the security had an air of you get in or you're dead. You only have it that tight when you have something special. She's there all right. We just have to get in."

"How can we do that Cloud? They're too well secure."

Cloud cursed her pessimism, though he understood it. "I could probably force my way through, but as I found out earlier, Shinra are somehow involved with it. Last thing we need is them crawling all over us."

"You might be interested in what I've got to say." A strange voice cut in. Cloud turned to see a man staggering over and fall onto a stool at their table. "You want to get close to the Don eh? I can help you there."

Cloud shook his head. "You're gonna have to narrow it down; any fool can say that."

"Suit yourself," he announced as the figure got ready to stand up. "That mansion, how he talks to traders and what he wants most. How he turns girls into honey and talks to the Shinra. Yeah, can understand why you don't wanna hear me out."

"Wait a second," Cloud began. "Tell you what, you start talking and I'll see if it's anything I don't already know."

"Buy a man a drink; can get awful thirsty in this line of work," the guy announced as he sat back down.

"Hey barman," Cloud called, instantly the fellow looked in his direction. "A jug of warm sake; one cup only." The barman quietly went about preparing the order.

"Thanks friend. So; you want to get in with the Don?" Cloud nodded and gestured for the man to go on. "You want to get inside the mansion as well? Then you need to know a little more about his business."

"I know that he runs a high profile knocking shop and that the Shinra are somehow involved," Cloud responded.

The stranger nodded. "Yeah, not too bad for a beginner. But you ain't even scratched the surface yet." The barman walked over and slotted the drink down, Cloud palmed a fifty gil note to the man and waved him off. The stranger filled a cup and drank it in one swallow before pouring a second and drinking it more frugally.

"So what else is there?" Aerith asked swiftly.

"Give me a second," the man answered, before allowing himself to belch loudly. "Right, well the Shinra work with Don Corneo at controlling Wall Market. That name's a front, truth is... It's a black market, where traders can palm anything off. That weapons seller? Just finds scraps and sells it on, no questions asked, no authorities to watch him. That's all thanks to the Don."

"What's that got to do with it?" Cloud asked in a curt tone.

"Everything. The girls the Don calls his bees, well that lot are often girls picked up from the street," he took another swallow of sake before continuing. "The Don takes girls at a young age, hooks them on drugs, and then feeds them to the punters. The Shinra? They take a nice cut; who cares about some missing children? One person... Don Corneo. You see, he's a pedophile; if you want to get in the mansion, feed him a child."

Before either of them could say a word, then man got up and walked from the table. Angry beyond words, Cloud dragged Aerith with him and they disappeared out of the bar and into a nearby alleyway.

As soon as they were out of sight of everyone, Aerith burst into tears and leant against Cloud. He wrapped his arm around her back and held her for a long minute. For once her innocence was not foolish; it disgusted him that even the Shinra would stoop so low. He didn't feel irritation at sharing the beliefs of Avalanche in this; mercenary or not, you don't let beasts just get away with it.

"I can't... I'm sorry." Aerith sobbed.

Cloud shook his head. "Don't be. The last thing I was expecting to hear was that. But if we're going to bring this sick man down, we have to go to his level. Aerith, listen to me; if you don't want to do it I understand and won't think any less of you. It'll be messy but we'll just assault the place, though I'd rather we snuck in and took them out from within."

She dried her eyes softly. "What are you thinking?" She asked calmly, while breathing shallowly.

"I want you to dress as a high school girl; make yourself up really girly and act very young. I have a plan that involves me selling you to him and, once inside, we'll deceive the idiot and do whatever we want. You understand?" She nodded while still sniffing. "Good girl; when we get to the door act all out of it and as innocent as possible. I want it to be like you're off your head on drugs. Come on, let's get set up."

The pair swiftly rushed back towards the heart of the market.

The clothes shop owner had been delighted as Cloud walked into the surprisingly ordinary establishment. Numerous storage spaces that were like pigeon holes for mail housed neatly folded garments while high rails hung full set clothes above the floor neatly. Aerith had immediately made herself busy scouting through the uniform section of the store. None of the owners batted an eyelid; with the type of trade that went on here, Cloud was no longer surprised.

He'd decided that he would need something more impressive than the Soldier uniform he was wearing and had ultimately chosen to go for a large suit. Cloud had seen that single tone black suits were sported by the bouncers and he didn't want to be seen as just another lackey. So instead he went for a white suit with a rose in the top pocket, while a neat black shirt was worn underneath and a red tie set the eclectic rich seller image off. He had also gone for a matching white hat and a brown business bag. Cloud had changed in the male room, cleverly undoing the components of his sword so that it fit into the bag, underneath which was his ordinary uniform.

As he came out of the changing room, he saw Aerith standing at the centre of the shop attracting a lot of attention. She had done her hair into two long pigtails while a classic matching blue sailor girl uniform covered the rest of her body. The skirt of the uniform ended just before the knees and was full of ridged creases, while the thighs were covered by long white socks and feet coated in a pair of black shoes. To fully complete the look draped over her shoulders, and tied just above the breasts, was an elegant neckerchief.

Cloud nodded. "I'm impressed; it really suits you." He added with a wink.

"I haven't worn anything this short in years," she replied nervously before looking down at herself and gasping in dismay. "My legs! People'll think I am fat!"

Cloud and the shop patrons let out a bellowed laugh. Aerith placed her hands on her hips and glared at them venomously. "I'm serious! Don't look!" She squealed.

Cloud composed himself and shook his head. "Trust me, you look perfect. Give me your other clothes." She did as told and he neatly folded them into the large bag he had purchased. "At that party tonight, you'll blow everyone away."

He turned to the owner and offered his hand, which the man shook firmly. "Thanks a lot; we'd never have expected to get anything this good at the last minute. I'll be sure to mention your place to everyone."

"It's been a pleasure; you two have a wild night," the owner called after them.

Once they were back on the streets of the market, Cloud ushered Aerith into the narrow alleyway behind the store again. Coolly they checked their tracks and composed themselves, ready for the big performance.

"Aerith, this is how it is going to work ok? I am going to pose as a guy selling you, so you have to act like you're out of your skull, okay?" She nodded firmly. "Good girl. I know this is going to be tough, so if at any time you feel uncomfortable and want to pull out of the charade and do it the old fashioned way, simply shout the word playboy, you got it?"

"Yeah, I'll be fine," she replied.

Cloud took a deep breath and put his hand on her shoulder. "Act all dreamy and innocent, talk about what the girls at school are up to and stuff. I don't want him to guess you are at least eight years older than he expects."

Cloud chuckled as he looked upon her face that had been coated in so much blusher, that an insect could have gone skiing on it. "But with a baby-face like yours, it should be easy."

A smile formed on her lips. "Thank you, Cloud," she sighed nervously. "I'm feeling quite sick that we're having to indulge his fantasies to find out what you're friend's up to."

Cloud nodded. "If there were another way guaranteed to work, I'd be using that instead. Come on, let's get this over with." The pair swiftly vaulted into the streets once again.

As they walked across the courtyard, Cloud dropped his expression into that of a cold and harsh businessman. While, at his side, Aerith was walking with a chirpy skip and her eyes as wide as possible. It was an astonishing performance and Cloud wondered if she really had tried to get too in character. But he shrugged off the thought as they bore down upon the huge doors of the mansion. Cloud didn't attempt to surprise the guy on the door, but he still pulled his machine pistol and cocked it menacingly.

"Hey! What the hell d'ya want?" The brutish man shouted at them.

Cloud walked up and offered his hand. "Mr Freist at your service," he announced while offering a polite bow to the man before him. "I've come to offer some merchandise to the Don of this market."

"He's not interested in me..." The figure cut himself off as he saw Aerith smiling wildly and emitting an aura of delight from her every pore. "Oh! Why didn't you say that you had a new femme fatale for the Don?"

Cloud rose from the bow and looked upon the guard curiously. "I wanted to see how attentive men in Corneo's syndicate are; evidently you have an eye for good merchandise. I want to discuss terms for her services with him if you please."

The man nodded. "Oh he'll be interested, but tell me something; how come she's so cheerful about what she does?"

"Oh! I have been working with this one for around two months now; she is very grateful for any chances that are offered," Cloud leant in close to the guard's right ear, "but just between you and me, it's also thanks to the heavy amount of drugs I've been slipping her every day I can."

The guard smiled furiously as he said it. "Corneo is going to get along fine with you sir; it's best that we don't keep a deal waiting." Cloud watched the man turn and bang loudly on the doors. "Open 'em up! Got a guy here with some red hot merchandise for the Don!" As the doors brushed apart, Cloud and Aerith walked on through.

The interior of the mansion was slightly disappointing many ways. While the Don had tried to recreate the structure of the far west in the way red beams formed all the stair rails; and the floor was formed from intricately laid stones to create a motif of a sea dragon mosaic, the truth was that it was a mere replica; the soul of those buildings had been stripped and it felt more like a museum than an actual temple.

"Mr Freist." An unseen man called from behind a desk that looked reminiscent of that in a hotel lobby. "I must apologise, the Don was not expecting any more business today so he is currently busy."

Cloud waved nonchalantly at the figure. "It's no issue; I'm used to waiting a long time to discuss business. It isn't polite to rush. I trust that there's an area prepared for me to wait in?" The man nodded nervously. "Then all is fine; I shall simply relax and await Don Corneo's attention."

Aerith and Cloud made to walk further when the man raised his hand up from the desk. "Is there a problem?" Cloud asked in a voice similar an accountant.

"Well you can wait for the Don, but the girl has to go and wait with the other one."

Cloud raised an eyebrow at this. "Oh? There has been other business here today?"

The man nodded. "Yeah, but I don't think she'll suit your taste; she's this busty broad all kitted out in PVC and whips. Most men were drooling, but you seem to have a more innocent taste."

The man looked Aerith up and down, taking in her appearance. For her part, however, Aerith continued to play the drugged up teenager to the teeth. He would definitely have to pay her back for this favour.

Cloud nodded neutrally, as if he were playing poker and not wanting his opponents to see his hand. "I just appreciate the need to know one's merchandise; if she has to wait with the other one then that is fine. Give me just one moment."

Cloud walked over to Aerith and placed a hand on her cheek, with his face turned from the man he mouthed for her to play along. "Now then Thiera, daddy needs to go and talk with one of his clients. You go with this man and do what he tells you ok? You wouldn't want to be punished right?"

Aerith shook her head. "No, I'll always be your little girl."

The comment sent chills down his spine but he nodded swiftly. "Good girl; I'll be back soon." Without wasting another moment, Cloud walked across the hall and up the stairs to an office at the centre of the balcony. Behind him, Aerith was led all the way around and into a door that had some stairs leading down. Cloud quietly shut the door and commenced his wait for the Don.

* * *

As soon as she was on the stairs Aerith had walked swiftly down into what could only be described as a dungeon. The floor was cobbled like the area before the courtyard, but there was no light in the room, aside from two small wall spots that hung too high to have much effect. This didn't stop her from taking note of the colossal table in the middle. It had been shaped like a workbench for making tools, except here there were a ton of tools to use on it. She lost count of the straps, cuffs and chains.

"You like the look of this room?" A harsh woman's voice cut in. "This is the sort of territory I work in!"

Aerith sighed at the woman. "It's ok Tifa, I'm a friend."

Aerith watched the woman's amazement form in her eyes. "I know Cloud; he fell through the church roof in Sector Five. He's ok, but we saw you as the carriage pulled into Wall Market and he got worried."

Tifa nodded. "And what does Cloud look like?"

Aerith rolled her eyes. "He has this rough blonde biker hairstyle, wears a Soldier uniform and also his eyes glow with a green twinge around the edges even though they are blue."

"All right, I trust you when you say you know him. He's really alright… Right?" Aerith nodded at the question, Tifa sank her head to the floor in her relief. "It's good that he found someone who cared."

"It's ok Tifa; we are only friends. He rescued me from the Turks and we came here to find out what is going on."

"Where is he now?" Tifa cut back quickly.

Aerith pointed upwards. "He's posing as a guy who sells women into sex. I'm his latest offering."

Tifa raised her eyebrow as she looked at Aerith. "Not sure that's going to work though; you look too young."

Aerith frowned and shook her head. "That's just why it'll work. We found out the Don is a pedophile."

Both of them fell silent at Aerith's words; there was nothing that either could say in response.

* * *

Cloud sat on a thick leather couch and thumbed through a Shinra sponsored newspaper. Quite a lot of the articles were obsessed with the fallout from the terror strikes, and mostly propaganda for the tyrannical rule of President Shinra. Though there were some interesting ones from the scientists that talked about the power efficiencies and other problems they incurred. But on the whole, the reading served as little more than a way than stop himself dying of boredom as he waited for the Don.

Suddenly he heard the door open, Cloud instantly clambered up from the sofa and offered a deep bow that Don Corneo returned. The man looked ridiculous; he was short and fat, sporting a gilded crown that was supposed to cover his bald scalp and wore a long red dressing gown with a trail, like he was furthering his fantasy of being a king. While he wore no shirt, his legs were, fortunately, covered by a pair of blue trousers. Cloud thought he was more of a court jester than King.

"Thank you for waiting Mr Freist. I'm very sorry, but I did not know there was other business, or I'd have put off my mid-morning session with the girls," the Don said, his voice very oily; Cloud was surprised there wasn't a stain in the carpet he stood on.

Cloud waved the comment off. "I told your men that it was no issue; I'm a very patient man Mr Corneo."

The figure giggled and seated himself opposite Cloud. "So, how can I interest you?"

"I won't try to dress up my business; we're both too wise for all that nonsense," Cloud began sharply. "You are a man who deals very successfully in all things sexual; namely, girls being at the end of a hook for men to purchase and use."

Don Corneo nodded. "All blessed and protected by the Shinra."

Cloud smiled. "Excellent! My business is not usually so fortunate, but by dealing with you that makes things smooth for me. I come into your business like this; a man who picks up young orphans and gives them opportunities..." Don Corneo's eyes lit up at the hint, Cloud decided it was time to press home the advantage. "I want to sell you a girl named Thiera. She is fourteen years old and a very promising prospect. She has already gained an undying taste for the drug Jordine. All you have to do is make an offer."

Don Corneo suddenly exploded into delight. "Mr Freist, you do know how to conduct business! As you have already prepared her so well, I offer you 30000 gil for her services."

Cloud shook his head. "Not good enough, I can get 50000 outside of Midgar."

Don Corneo frowned. "Then take her out of Midgar, but I am not paying that."

"You get your hands on a freshly prepared virgin, that is hooked on drugs, for you to use how you will for cheaper, and I'll eat my hat," Cloud countered suddenly.

Corneo's eyes bulged at the word virgin before he finally capitulated. "Ok, ok! 50000 it is, Kotch will prepare it for you."

Cloud offered his hand and Corneo shook it. "I'll break the news to her myself; I'll collect the cash from the main room when I'm done, if that's ok with you?"

Corneo nodded. "Of course; you can watch me select who I go for first if you like?"

"I'm not in a rush Mr Corneo, I'd be delighted," he announced before leaving the room.

Cloud had insisted on being alone when he went into the downstairs holding area. While he had been gone, both Aerith and Tifa appeared to have got well acquainted. So much so, that neither noticed his arrival for a good minute.

"You girls don't want to make the Don unhappy," he replied in a harsh voice.

Instantly Tifa turned tail and drew her whip, before she realised who it was. "Cloud!" She cried out, before she growled distastefully at his suit. "You're enjoying this, aren't you?"

Cloud shook his head. "About as much as a lecture on the planet from Barret."

He walked close to ensure they could not be heard. "I'm glad you're ok Tifa; tell me, what the hell are you doing here?"

Tifa glanced at Aerith and Cloud shook his head. "Listen, Aerith is hunted by the Shinra and knows a lot about healing; she shares our enemy. She's going with us, whether Barret likes it or not."

Tifa nodded. "He always said you tried to be leader all the time," she commented with a sly grin. She cleared her throat when he scowled in her direction. "Well... After we escaped the bombing, we came back to the hideout, only to find some grunt passed out on the steps. At first we were just going to toss him into the gutter, when Jessie noticed he had an unusual tattoo on his ankle."

"A tattoo? What sort of image?" Cloud asked swiftly.

Tifa shrugged. "It looked like a number, sort of an I.D code. So Barret hauled him into the bar and beat the hell out of him for half a day, before he confessed that Don Corneo had sent him there to find our hideout, but that's all he knew."

She dropped her head and sighed. "Barret and the others warned me to leave the lech alone once we figured out who Corneo was. But I wasn't going to just sit there twiddling my thumbs; there had to be a reason that he wanted us found, but now I'm kind of stuck in a bind..."

Cloud nodded. "Don't I know it; Corneo's planning a little competition between the pair of you to see who gets first blood. So we have to use that to our advantage," he looked at Aerith and she balled her fist.

"I can do this Cloud!" She called puckishly.

"Well ok then; here's how it's got to work. As we know, Don Corneo likes little girls, so I want you, Aerith, to pretend to be all giggly. Talk about stuff like dance class and things; really fire him up with images of a sweet innocent girl, while Tifa looks raunchy but ultimately too powerful for him to handle."

"Then what? We can't let her go with him!" Tifa protested vehemently.

"Oh I agree there; that's why I have a back up plan. Since the Don was so generous with his cash I am going to give him a return favour where I break you in. That makes sure his lackeys are out of the game. Once the doe-eyed moron leads Aerith through the curtains, we pretend there's something going on then sneak in, and we interrogate him."

Tifa and Aerith grinned in response to the plan; they seemed to like it so far. "And trust me; I know exactly how to get information from him. Say Tifa?" He asked swiftly, "where's your gear?"

She pointed to the balcony. "He had his guards put my stuff in the main room, apparently I looked dashing as I was and he didn't want me changing out of this."

Cloud rolled his eyes. "I should have expected that. Well I'd better get back; Aerith, remember, you're high on drugs. Pretend you have no memory of me."

And with that, he was gone, leaving the pair in the darkness once again.

As the girls were led into the room, Cloud ignored them and finished counting his money. All of a sudden an announcement was made by the two lackeys and Corneo walked in from the same office Cloud had discussed business with him earlier. At the back of the room, a large screen was folded backwards and Cloud guessed that was where the action would take place. The figure was still dressed in the ridiculous outfit and crown. Somehow, the two girls had managed to not laugh at the affair, for which, Cloud was extremely thankful.

"Ooh!" The pervert called as he leapt from behind the desk to stand in front of them both. "Oh curses! I was told today would be tough, but this is torture!" He squealed like a child. "Who is it going to be? Perhaps this tough lady?" He announced while staring at Tifa's bulging outfit. "Or perhaps this fine young girl." He giggled as he took in Aerith's uniform style.

"I always do as daddy tells me," Aerith suddenly spat out, Cloud could see the visible shock on Tifa's face. But to the Don, the words were pure gold.

"Oh you do? Then if daddy says to come back with him, you'd tuck him in?" He asked while leaning in close to her.

"I'll be a good girl... Don't hurt me... I promise it won't happen again."

Corneo's eyes lit up and he grabbed her hand. "I choose her, you guys can..."

"Oh, Mr Corneo." Cloud cut in suddenly. "As a man who trades fine women, I must say how disgusted I was with your dominatrix. She has the PVC, the whip, but she does not have the heart." He walked up close and performed a pulled slap on Tifa, who rolled with the blow as if struck at full force. "People go to a dominatrix to feel pain, and she doesn't have the heart to give it out. Let me break her, it's the least I can do to repay your generosity."

Corneo danced up and down excitedly. "Fine! Fine! Just don't disturb me! You two get out!" Corneo called at his guards, who exited the room with a look and fury about their faces. Instantly Corneo rushed through the open gap of the screen and into his room.

After the figure had gone, Tifa dropped to the floor and performed a loud slap against the wood to create the image she was being beaten. Cloud meanwhile continued to shout and maul at her, while cracking the whip furiously. Tifa screamed along with the blows. For ten minutes they continued the charade, throwing in insults, spitting and fighting to further the image that Cloud was doing the Don a favour.

Finally Tifa hit the floor hard as if Cloud had knocked her out. He grunted and began to undo the suit, certain that the Don thought he was about to have his fill, Cloud ordered Tifa to silently dress again and grab the money, while he did the same as he simultaneously continued the charade of having his way with an unconscious prostitute. Once he saw Tifa was ready, the pair carefully barred the main room from the inside and silently slipped up to the screen.

On the other side, Aerith had backed herself into a corner. She dropped to her knees and pleaded for the man to not hurt her. The inner disgust she felt at being in the same room as this beast overwhelmed her and she began to cry. For Don Corneo, this was his greatest day. With the girl on her knees, he knew what he'd make her do first. Cockily he reached for his trousers.

That was when he suddenly felt his world spin. An arm coiled around his throat and within a micro-second he was being lifted from the floor and pulled back onto his bed. He desperately thrashed his legs around, trying to dislodge the grip, but soon he felt his hands thrust upwards and thick handcuffs chain him to the bed.

As he felt the arm slide free of his neck, he found himself looking at the figure of Mr Freist who was comforting his new girl, before he handed her some clothes and she went on her way. He looked around and saw the second girl he had been eyeing up, only she wore much plainer clothes.

"Mr Freist... Surely this is a joke? We have an agreement!" He protested weakly.

"My name's not Freist, and what I have is your money and girls. What you have is one chance to tell us what we want to know or you suffer badly," Cloud snarled angrily.

"Just what the fuck is this about?" Corneo squealed feebly. Aerith emerged again, dressed in her pink dress and clutching the bag of cash, Cloud and the others instantly lined up beside the bed. Cloud was nearest to the man, with Aerith directly beside him and Tifa at the final end of the bed.

"Shut up!" Tifa yelled at the terrified man. "We're the one's asking the questions. Now tell us; what do you want with the location of Avalanche's hideout?"

"What? Forget it! I'm not saying anything! No way!" He protested foolishly.

"Talk!" Tifa retorted, "if you don't tell us..." She trailed off and nodded at Cloud, who, while they had been talking, had assembled his weapon. Swiftly he pulled the sword over his head and stabbed it down in between Corneo's legs, missing the groin by a matter of inches.

"I'll chop them off!" He roared while leaning close to the man.

"Waah!" He shrieked while waving frantically for the glaive to be pulled clear. "Ok... Ok! I was ordered to find it; they said they had big plans... Honest!"

Tifa calmly brushed a hand through her hair. "By who?" She asked in a flat, bored tone of voice.

"No! God no! Please! I can't tell you! It'll be horrible! I'd be killed!" The man howled as he desperately tried to free himself from the handcuffs.

"Talk!" Tifa snapped. "Tell us what we need to know, or else..." She trailed off and Aerith picked up her cue. The girl clambered onto a stool and jumped upwards. Confused the Don looked on as she twisted the haft of her cudgel, sending the thick pole into the bed at force. Just beyond his groin.

"I'll grind them!" She hissed as she remained suspended from the weapon, before she carefully retracted it and landed on the stool again.

"Oh fuck! Oh fuck!" The man panted, as the horror of her words pressed home. "All right! All right! It was... It was Heidegger! Heidegger! From the Shinra!"

Cloud raised an eyebrow at this revelation. "The head of public safety maintenance? Now why would he want to know where Avalanche were hiding?"

"Oh Christ have mercy!" The man pleaded pathetically, "you know the main bits; I can't answer that!"

"Talk!" Tifa roared as she walked next to a metal pole that was suspended from the ceiling. "Tell me or else!" As she finished the harsh command she gripped the pole with her right hand and pulled at it. To everyone's amazement the metal broke clean in half. "I'll rip them off!"

"Oh shit! You guys... You guys... You guys are serious aren't you?" He panted as he spoke. "Listen... I'm just a scum-bag, one of the Shinra's dirty side. The Shinra want to crush the resistance... Once and for all... They got a good plan too. You see they're going to do it literally, the plate support pillar, it's going to be broken." He coughed finally.

"Break the support!" Tifa shrieked.

Don Corneo laughed loudly. "Heh! Yeah, they're going to bring the upper plate down on them! I found out they are hiding in Sector Seven... It's great they aren't hiding here in my sector."

The three fighters ignored the man's gloating; they knew that the Shinra would not hang around on a plan like this. With anger as their wind, they charged towards the exit of the room. In their haste to get away, they took their eyes off the prisoner. On the bed he thrashed furiously and kicked at a corner post. As they heard it go over, Cloud turned back only to catch a glimpse of Corneo's heel slamming onto a concealed button. Instantly the three felt cold air rise from beneath them. Before they could react the abyss swallowed them, and above Corneo's mocking laughter followed them...


	6. Heaven's Holocaust

Chapter 6: - Heaven's Holocaust

High above the metropolis the most important man of them all sat in his plush leather seat; within the confines of his high class office. A delightful melody of strings, wind instruments and sopranos provided a sound track of elegance and regality; it clashed badly with the setting that it provided the mood for. The floor was a gun-metal grey, with large symbols and numbers etched into it, to provide some kind of marked boundary.

The area was less a room and more like a floor, where normally there would be small offices and clerks filing all day, here there was nothing, save for the huge desk that the man occupied. It reminded the Turk of a commander behind the deck of a ship, waiting at the bridge for news (both good and bad) before he gave out his orders in accordance to the situation. In his ill fitting red suit, President Shinra did have a semblance of the royal about him, but up close, it was all too easily seen as an illusion; the truth shown through the President's eyes; he had everything, and yet he feared he would lose it all to some unseen enemy.

Behind him in the distance, he heard the familiar bellowing laugh he had become accustomed to hearing and knew that the time for the meeting was upon him. Putting aside any thoughts of nervousness at the gigantic ploy, the man readied himself for the firmest test of his will. The bellowing laugh grew louder and the Turk turned over his shoulder to see the head of public safety maintenance make his entrance.

The title suggested that the figure was some pen pushing accountant whose responsibility was for the upkeep of traffic lights. The truth, however, was that the figure had an influence and power greater than the title bestowed upon him. As head of safety maintenance he had full control of all things military. If anything, the man should have been labelled a Field Marshal.

The approaching man's appearance seemed to fit in accordance to the power of his position, wearing a green military uniform that had numerous sparkling medals adorned along the breast pocket. On his head he wore a pristine cap which, the Turk had to admit, hid his receding black hairline very well, though it did nothing to make the scraggly beard he sported any more fashionable.

"Heidegger," the President called from behind his desk. "Has the plan been implemented?"

The general let off another explosive laugh. "Oh yes! We are all ready for the off; I have assigned the Turks to his."

"So that's why you're here, Reeve?" The President answered as he turned to regard the Turk.

Reeve nodded. "Of course, though I must ask is this really necessary? Avalanche is a major problem, but the innocent casualties will surely be off the scale? What will the citizens think? Not even the company can cover this up."

"Come now Reeve!" Heidegger spat, "if you had any doubts, you should have flushed them away when you last had to go."

Reeve snarled and stared at the man. "The Mayor is against this too, might I add. After he condemned Avalanche and united the officials, don't you fear it'll look bad for two of the most powerful council members to be on opposite sides?"

The President and Heidegger both laughed at Reeve's question for a long minute before the general restored calm upon himself.

"Mayor?" He questioned with a chuckle. "All that fool does is sit in his office and stuff his face! That speech you mentioned? It was written for him by some graduate who got an apprenticeship only last month! Who cares about him?"

Reeve gave a shocked look at the statement. "Wha... You can't..." He faltered as the power of Heidegger's declaration took its hold.

"He's only Mayor to ensure that the public have some form of influence on us Reeve. Heidegger is right; no-one out on the streets cares about him." The President commented as he straightened his tie calmly. "We have no time to waste; execute the plan."

"Yes Mr President!" Heidegger replied with a salute, before he turned tail and headed out of the office with his laugh bouncing off the walls. Reeve made to follow him, but the whistling of the President held him in place.

"Reeve. I know how you feel, but the traditional methods have not given us what we want," the President explained.

Reeve shook his head. "A second red flag operation is suspicious; the conspiracy theorists will come after us again. We barely dodged one bullet; why set us up against another?"

"That is a problem we'll face at another date. Once this has all passed on, perhaps you should consider a vacation?"

The question was not an invite but a command. Reeve nodded in understanding. "Yes Mr President," he replied respectfully, despite feeling shut out. "If you'll excuse me," he followed up carefully, "I must ensure my Turks are ready for the plan to be executed."

The President nodded. "Good; prepare them well."

The figure waited until he was alone before he let off a loud laugh. "This is perfect, Avalanche will be destroyed and the people will have no one to turn to apart from us. The real control of Midgar begins now!"

He followed his soliloquy with a mocking laugh before he turned to stand at the large window that overlooked the Seventh Sector.

* * *

They had no idea how long they had fallen for. Cloud had cursed himself for an idiot when the drop first began, rule number one, always take out the enemy, never leave them conscious and in control. The self-berating did not last long, instead he was consumed by a desire to ensure that he was not injured.

He realised not long after he slid around a bend that Corneo had dumped them into some form of drain. The circular shaft was made from an ancient metal that had rusted and chipped badly over time. It made his fingers bleed as the corrosive burrs ripped at his hands on the way down. Behind him, the two girls were cursing equally badly. Aerith moaning repeatedly that her dress was being snagged. Cloud rolled his eyes as she announced this, the woman clearly didn't understand what the greater priority was.

Distracted by the words of the girl, Cloud didn't notice the pinprick of light at first. Tifa shouted the warning and Cloud's eyes darted down the shaft to see the end growing bigger and brighter all the time. He carefully kicked his legs out straight, the heels at a ninety degree angle so that the flat of his boots constantly scrubbed along the pipe.

When suddenly the light engulfed him and he felt himself free-fall. Thinking fast, the mercenary threw his bodyweight into a roll. Behind him Aerith let out an ear piercing shriek. Cloud suddenly felt the cudgel brush past his ear and grind against the stone floor of the sewer. Forcing himself to ignore the sound of the metal, he focused on continuing the roll, before he hit a wall and felt consciousness slip away from him.

Tifa though had found the fall a thrill, it was a throwback to how the whole anti-Shinra thing began. She was used to falling down tunnels and escaping impossibly, for her, this was no challenge. As the light consumed her, Tifa stood from the slide and leapt at full stretch. Her eyes fixed to the rusted bar that straddled across the chamber.

She opened the palms expertly and caught the structure with ease. Going along with the motion she kicked her legs outwards and let physics naturally pull her back. Twice more she did this until she felt her body getting to full speed, before she let go. Like a trapeze artist she flew through the air, twisting through a single somersault, before she caught a thick drainpipe that served as a conduit for water. Secure, she slowly climbed down the pipe until she reached the floor.

The new area was the remnant of some sewer. It had a domed shape to the structure, somehow the tubular lights in the ceiling still functioned, Tifa failed to see the point in this, the trio were probably the first visitors to this place in about ten years. Still it was the Shinra's money and resources that were being wasted, and that made her feel better for it.

The centre of the sewer - where Cloud and Aerith had both collapsed - was a deep trench that was easily eight feet high. On either side of the gully were sheer walls that reached up to a walkway that surrounded the trench, designed to follow the same route as the central waterway. Ahead she could see a huge arch that went higher than the trench, though a set of bars sealed the tunnel beyond it off.

To her right she heard Aerith stir and sit up slowly. Tifa walked over and offered her a helping hand, which the girl accepted gratefully.

"Are you ok?" Tifa asked quickly.

Aerith nodded. "I'm fine, but I think I have ruined this." She announced while tugging at the corset of her outfit. "I don't want everything to fall out, that'd be so embarrassing!"

Tifa smiled and shook her head. "Good to hear you're not hurt." Tifa looked along the trench and saw Cloud elegantly kick himself up to his feet. "And it's good to see you're all right too mister." Tifa called out.

Cloud dusted himself down and shrugged. "I survived a much bigger fall than that remember? But what a bastard, how are we going to stop the plate now?"

Tifa held a hand to her mouth. "Oh my god!" She called as she realised how the thrill of running had made her forget the main point of their move from the Sector. "It'll take forever to get from here, by then..."

She was silenced by the sound that travelled deeply through the sewer. The trio looked up and thought at first it had been some trick of the tunnel. Cloud knew that in Wutai often what sounded like an enemy could be nothing more than a gust of wind that somehow got into the area. But hope of that being the case was dashed when they heard it again.

"We're not alone." Cloud announced suddenly. "Quick, stand with backs together!"

The unexpected order was carried out immediately, and the three stood with the bodies forming a triangle. Cloud had ordered silence upon them, and Aerith, unused to this sort of position, desperately fought to control he urge to find out why they were stood this way.

Suddenly her question was answered when two bars of the archway bent backwards, before they were pulled away completely and into the tunnel beyond. With the location of the sound sourced, the trio spread into a line. Tifa calmly cracked her knuckles and stood in stance. While Aerith held her cudgel before her and Cloud stood with the huge glaive in his palms.

The other four bars of the archway buckled before they were pushed clean through. From within the darkness beyond came an unearthly growl that felt to the group like some mystical creature waited for them. Echoing after the growl was the earth shuddering sound of stomping feet. Fear arose like bile within them, but the trio desperately fought to control their emotion.

Then there was silence.

Cloud tightened his grip on his sword; Aerith did the same for her cudgel, though the girl was shaking like a leaf in the wind. Tifa tightened her stance, just in case she was forced to jump out of the way quickly.

For an agonisingly long few seconds, they just stood there, the silence ringing loudly in their ears; almost as loud as the monster's growl. But then suddenly the demon appeared from the shadows. The trio was taken aback by the colossal size of the creature. It stood for at least twelve feet, but unlike the machines that Cloud remembered from the reactors, this was a real live animal. It reminded him of an ancient dinosaur; the beast stood on two legs, while three clawed feet anchored it to the ground.

The skin of the beast was a form of light blue which looked incongruent with the grimy and dirty world from where it had come. What really got Cloud's attention was that the beast had paws with huge talons, while on the wrists a pair of heavy chains dangled menacingly. The mouth of the beast opened as it roared once again, two rows of jagged teeth, similar to a shark's, glistened as the tubular light kissed them.

The enemy suddenly rushed forwards and spun around, an unseen tail that was around eight feet long slashed at the air venomously. Tifa reacted by leaping to her left side and, in a dazzling display of agility, she flipped her body through a perfect cartwheel without the use of her hands against the ground. Aerith, spooked by the sudden assault, had twisted her cudgel and vaulted up into the air over the tail.

Cloud, however, wasn't interested in evasion; carefully, he stepped inside the arcing motion and thrust his sword forwards before dropping onto his back. As the tail swished overhead, he swung the blade like an axe and it sliced against the scaled limb. To his amazement, the blade bounced clear without blemishing the beast.

As the mercenary kicked himself to his feet, Tifa took full advantage and ran against the enemy's left hand side. Armed only with her fists, she knew there was little she could do to attack it from ground level, but coolly she entered the fray and jumped at the creatures left leg. Grabbing hold of the thick scaled skin, she vaulted upwards, grabbing a shattered section of the archway bars in the process. As she passed the joint of the knee, she angrily stabbed at the beast.

The rusted and sharp point ground against the skin, causing a sharp growl in response. Thinking quickly, she jumped backwards and kicked out harshly with both feet. The booted assault drove the makeshift spear home while it served as a vault for her to get away from the beast.

Instantly, the reptile-like creature howled and slashed wildly at the air with his paws, the thick chains whipped around randomly from the act. Frantically the three warriors scattered in order to avoid the collision with the metallic objects. Tifa smirked wickedly as the chain of the left wrist wrapped around a mooring ring. Having already come up with a tactic with the information, she ran at the high wall of the trench and took two steps along the wall before she jumped onto the rungs of the chain.

Cloud saw her suicidal manoeuvre and instantly rushed forward as a diversion, whipping around behind the creature's right leg. He stopped his movement, however, when he heard something akin to a weapon smash against something hard and he looked up to see that the end of the cudgel had clashed against the creature's head. Turning back, he saw Aerith standing in the centre of the drain, calmly retracting the cudgel before she started quietly talking to herself.

No, Cloud realized belatedly. She was chanting.

Cloud looked on as her eyes appeared to glaze over, and, to his astonishment, the cudgel started to float in the air all by itself. He decided he would ask her about that trick once they got out of this fight, assuming that they did so alive.

As Aerith stole all the attention, Cloud sliced furiously at the heels of the creature. His initiative was rewarded as the skin at the back was much thinner, which caused the beast howled in pain. Encouraged that he was actually doing some good in this fight, he continued to slash at the sensitive area. Tifa seized the opportunity and ran up the chain and onto the shoulder of the creature before leaping upwards and stabbed another shard of debris into the back of the enemy's mouth.

Tifa immediately clung on as the beast started to violently stomp around uncontrollably. The fighter grasped tightly to a loose flap of skin when a thin light beam caught the corner of her eye. Ignoring the pleas of Cloud to slide down the arms, she leapt outwards and caught the beam effortlessly.

In the trench below, Aerith felt the energy course through her mind like quicksilver. As the affinity with the orb reached its peak, she focused on a concentrated ball. The green light that surrounded her like a tube suddenly flashed into her palms and, utilising it with a controlled strength few knew she possessed, Aerith thrust both palms towards the face of the beast. At her command, the light shifted to form a ball of fire, the flaming orb swirling past the frantic defences of the demon.

Cloud and Tifa both watched the astonishing control Aerith had over the attack; where as most would have had the energy collide with their target randomly relying on luck for it to inflict any true damage, Aerith had guided the flaming attack into the creature's mouth. The heat had taken immediate effect; the flame caught the hairs on the monster's face. For five seconds the burning enemy pranced around, before it rushed back into the darkness whence it came.

For the three fighters, the victory felt hollow; no sooner had they felt the adrenaline from the fight subside, did the ensuing panic for the Seventh Sector come flooding back. Not wasting any time to talk idly about the battle, the trio rushed to the edge of the track, where a dirty ladder led them onto a walkway.

The whole layout of the room confused Cloud; it was shaped like a letter L, with both sides of the trench having walkways, though the other side had collapsed seemingly numerous times with the age of the area. Calmly, he led the girls around the walkway and found their way barred by a rusted iron gate. However, just as they were about to give up, Tifa ordered Aerith to aim an uppercut with her cudgel at the lock.

Cloud had leapt for his life as one half of the cudgel threatened to bore through his foot at the sheer force of the blow. Fortunately for the group, the other half had the desired effect, smashing through the lock and knocking the gate off its hinges. Tifa took great delight in delivering a roundhouse kick that forced the gate to fall completely through.

On the other side of the archway, the path continued for another two hundred yards before they found themselves standing above a colossal pit. Cloud felt a dizzying vertigo consume him as he stared into the semi-circular abyss. At random down in the darkness were tiny pricks of light; to Cloud, it was as if he were about to fall from the ledge of the Fifth reactor again.

He pulled back from the edge and frantically looked for another way, after a minute he turned to the girls, only to see Tifa shaking her head at him.

"I can tell you know nothing about running, eh Cloud?" Tifa's statement confused him and she chuckled. "Leave it to me."

Aerith and Cloud stared as she took a sharp turn to the right; Tifa ignored their attention and focused on the art she had not fully practised in years. Effortlessly she ran at pace, following the lip of the semi-circular opening perilously close to the edge. As the lip came to an end she executed a controlled baseball slide. Behind her, she heard the gasps as she went over the edge.

Reaching out she grasped at the concealed ladder and calmly slid down it until she found herself on the maintenance platform. As she had expected, there was a large console with an emergency override switch in place. Forcefully, she slammed her fist against the button and a deafening klaxon sounded in response. Ignoring the painful noise, Tifa rushed back to the ladder and climbed back up to the top, where her face was met by the glaring disapproval of Cloud.

"Every sewer tunnel has a security override for the storm bridges," Tifa announced with a nonchalant shrug.

Cloud shook his head. "And to get there you could just walk up to the edge? I thought you'd fallen!" He announced with an unexpected twinge of genuine fear.

"I'll explain it to you sometime; trust me, I can do a lot more than you think."

"Come on!" Aerith suddenly yelped. "We have to get to the pillar!"

Tifa nodded. "Aerith's right, Cloud. Don't worry, I can look after myself."

And the resistance fighter ran towards the centre of the semi-circular sewer pit.

In the middle a large bridge had arisen thanks to Tifa's use of the emergency switch. While barely being wide enough for one person, the steel frame of the bridge easily withstood the pace and ferocity of the group's advance upon it. At the end of the bridge, Tifa spotted numerous rungs that had been embedded into the wall. Puzzled she looked upwards and saw that it led to some form of path.

Gritting her teeth she began to climb, below her she could hear the sound of the others echoing her movements. The rungs were thicker than the average ladder; had it not been for the twenty foot height of them together, she'd believe that they were for some other purpose. As the rungs came to an end, she grabbed the lip and pulled herself over.

Atop the climb she was amazed to discover that she was within another tunnel of similar height to the first one. Instead of being domed like the sewer Don Corneo had cast them into, this was a lot squarer, almost like a huge warehouse. A pile of barrels was stacked eight metres high, though somehow the weight didn't cause them to come down. As she looked further along the large area, she saw a pair of sliding doors that must have been at least forty feet above them.

"What is this place?" Aerith asked as she managed to clamber up on the fourth attempt. "It looks... Big." She concluded lamely.

Cloud nodded his head at her point. "Midgar isn't famous for manufacturing is it?" He asked swiftly. "At least not things you'd keep in a place like this."

As he spied the barrels, he snarled again. "These barrels... Great place to hide. Be ready; I reckon we'll be in for a fight!" He concluded before they marched into the unknown.

* * *

If the open plan floor at the top of the building was a symbol of power, then the pitiful annex room, that served as the office for his superior, was a reflection on where the man was on the food-chain. Reeve understood any frustration the man was feeling; after all, the President had declared him worthless less than an hour ago.

Since that moment, the Turk commander had been busy with numerous assignments. Naturally the Seventh Sector assault was something that his best fighters had been itching to get into. While his subordinate Tseng was far more distracted by news of the disappearance of a young girl.

Reeve had not directly ordered any strikes. Coolly, he had stalked down to the office of the weaker man in the hope that he could find someone like minded in the face of such a dangerous plan that the President had concocted.

"Are you a loyal man, Reeve?" Mayor Domino asked as he thumbed through a leather bound book at his desk. The figure's eyes strained in the low-light that the weak lamps offered. "Are you a man who believes in the Shinra cause?"

Reeve bowed elegantly. "Whatever the Shinra order, I shall carry out without prejudice of thought." The Turk answered neutrally.

"Do you know why the Shinra have such faith in the Turks?" The Mayor asked suddenly. Reeve shrugged his shoulders. "It is because you have a focus on the job that doesn't wilt. Nothing makes you lose control, and the Shinra applaud that. Even if you are conflicted, you get the job done."

Reeve felt a flame flicker into life in his mind. "I do not follow, Mr. Mayor," he replied carefully.

The Mayor adjusted the thin glasses he wore so that they were resting higher up along the bridge of his nose. "The latest ploy against Avalanche is bolder than anything the company has let loose before. Not even the strikes against Banora can match its ferocity."

"The terrorists are within that sector," Reeve began, "it is something the company can hide behind."

Mayor Domino nodded and rose from his chair. "Indeed," he spat with a sudden and unexpected aggression. "The people will ask dirty questions, and the President will present some glossy story; any rebellion will get crushed by Solider, and ultimately, Shinra triumphs yet again." He bowed his head with a sigh. "This is not the actions of a Mayor; I should be standing up for those who have faith in me, not watching as the Shinra destroy them."

"You still can," Reeve replied instantly. The Mayor looked up at him wearing a confused expression. "The President has been told that Heidegger has ordered the Turks to the mission. He might be the Head of Safety Maintenance, but you are second only to the President."

The Turk pointed at the poorly equipped office. "Why else are you down here? Because they know up top you'll have a greater influence; they weaken it by keeping you down here unless needed."

"That's what it takes to be the number two, eh Reeve?" Domino answered cuttingly. "Then any drunk from the street can do it!"

Reeve's eyes narrowed. "This is not the time to be pitying your lack of influence up top." He announced firmly. "Influence is not the issue here; it is how you act! The President did not issue the order to the Turks, Heidegger did! Overrule him; call off the Shinra dogs." Reeve pleaded. For twenty seconds, he thought he had made headway, but then the Mayor shook his head.

"I admire your loyalty Reeve; very few would come to me with such a plan. It is reckless and ambitious, not to mention dangerous. The President is the most powerful man on this continent. I am sure that if that order is passed, tomorrow the President will announce I was on an ambassador visit to the people and my body has not been found. As for you? Barely anyone knows of your presence in the building, you wouldn't even be a footnote in the log books."

"Sir," Reeve began desperately. "Sometimes, the consequences have to be accepted, but this action is wrong!"

"My orders are for you to support Heidegger and the President," Domino commanded firmly. "You will not talk to anyone about subverting their authority. Shinra will grind the terrorists into dust, and it will rebuild from the ashes. Go!"

Dishevelled and overcome by the turn of events, Reeve silently left his audience with the Mayor, not looking the coward in the eye. Behind him, he felt the man's shame try to reach out and placate him. The Turk did not let it succeed. Turning a cold shoulder on the man, he reached the elevator, and headed up to the Sixty-Seventh floor.

* * *

The long warehouse that they had emerged within was now behind them; if the group had been thinking of any place they'd emerge, the last thing on their minds was the locale before them. Cloud crouched behind a large metal carcass of a train; the insides had been stripped bare, and men in checked shirts and hard hats furiously worked hard at brushing them up.

The mercenary ducked underneath the carriage as another pair walked alongside the unit; it would do them no good to get spotted now – too many questions would get asked and they didn't have the time to answer them. Waiting for him underneath the vehicle was Tifa and Aerith, both remaining silent at his appearance.

"This must be some form of depot," he whispered softly, "workmen are busy tidying up the cars."

"I would never believe Shinra actually worked on them," Aerith announced suddenly. "The trains to the upper plate are always so filthy."

Cloud nodded. "You're right there; my guess is that these are for the upper plate only."

"The train graveyard is where the destroyed cars get dumped," Tifa cut in suddenly, getting them back on topic. "This is probably the other side of the yard where the train cars that can be saved come for a make over."

"Yeah, and since they belong to the Shinra, I reckon there're more than just workers in the area," Cloud cursed as he clenched his fists. "There's no cover until we get inside the main building along the tracks."

"We fight through?" Tifa asked.

Cloud nodded. "We have no choice; we can't wait for this lot to finish their shift."

"But they'll get killed if we let them stay here when the plate falls!" Aerith protested.

"The plate won't fall unless we hide here. It's decided Aerith, we're running for it!"

For thirty seconds they had waited patiently as the two men who were walking alongside the train appeared. Tifa reacted first; grabbing hold of a thick bar underneath the train she slid from underneath with her legs apart. The surprised guard yelped suddenly as the unseen fighter performed a perfect drop toe-hold. The man clattered into the ground silently; swiftly she followed the move up with a well aimed kick to the temple.

Surprised at suddenly being alone, the second guard turned back, only to be smashed in the jaw by Aerith's cudgel. As the man staggered, blood pouring from the assault, Aerith locked the cudgel at half height and slammed one half of the weapon against the man's mid-riff. Cloud finished him off, viscously swiping his sword blade through the man's neck from behind, decapitating him instantly.

With the men taken out, Cloud raised his head and scanned the open rail yard. To the north-east he saw the main depot. The structure was akin to an aeroplane hangar, the gigantic door open wide, the halves that comprised the solid object were split away from each other and left like that. Two sets of parallel track went inside the depot and, presumably, out the other side.

Realising that their time was running out, the trio made a break for it. Tifa took point and rushed off down the tracks, her fists clenched tightly together. Aerith followed in her wake, the cudgel retracted and buckled against her dress. Cloud hung back at the rear, the colossal sword ready to deal more death and destruction at his whim.

The rail yard was open air for a good 300 yards, and the trio covered it like as if their lives depended on it. As the hangar doors drew closer, they thought they had made it, when suddenly an ear-splitting klaxon sounded across the darkness. Cloud, hard trained by the Shinra, felt little pain from it, but Aerith and Tifa, both unused to such noise, covered their ears as best they could.

Ahead the hangar doors began to slide closer together. Tifa sprinted and made it across easily, as did Aerith. Cloud however, some fifty yards adrift, was almost certain to not make it. Aerith thought fast and held her cudgel out horizontally, before twisting the haft and slamming both ends against the doors. The gears ground and shrieked angrily, while the tension made her feel as if her arms were about to snap clean in half.

Tifa bolstered her new found comrade by gripping hold of one side, taking the strain from the visually weaker girl. Frantically they applied all the strength they could, before Cloud dived across the threshold. Knocked off balance by his advance, Aerith accidentally retracted the weapon, Tifa pulled the girl from danger and seconds later, the hangar was sealed.

"Phew!" Aerith announced as she wiped her forehead in relief. "That was close, but we're safe now right?" Immediately Cloud shook his head as if to deflate her enthusiasm. "The doors are sealed tight aren't they?"

"We'd be alright if the Shinra didn't own this hanger; if anything we're sitting ducks. They open both sides at once, then a fully lined up platoon of guards pepper anything that moves."

Aerith balled her fists and shook violently. "But we can't just give up hope if the situation looks bad!"

As the pair continued their debate behind them, Tifa found herself feeling more like a spectator watching a tennis match. She couldn't help but understand Cloud's point, though; it only took a wide opening and they'd be easy meat. But that was only one side of it; the guards couldn't exactly force the doors open, still that only gave them a little bit of time to get out. The trio would have to find some way to escape and level the playing field somehow.

Stepping backwards, she craned her neck to get a better look of her surroundings.

Around thirteen metres above her, she could see a large walkway and, chained to the railing that prevented anyone from falling over the edge, was a long ladder. It looked like it was an emergency ladder in case someone got injured while working on the tracks below. To her amazement, the ledge did not protrude away from the wall below it, meaning that if she could get enough lift, she'd be able to climb straight up.

Thinking back to the distant nights of climbing amidst the pouring rain, she recalled how once she had overcome a similar problem using some boxes. To her disappointment, the yard had nothing on display.

"Aerith, listen to me!" Cloud barked, bringing Tifa's attention back to her comrades. "The Shinra won't care if we surrender; they want to completely destroy Avalanche. Surrendering only gives us to them and condemns the people of this Sector!"

The loudness of the argument startled her and Tifa turned around to see Cloud really snarling at the now quivering woman who stood a good three inches shorter. As he was slightly leant forwards, her eyes drank in the image of the sword; anchored in place obediently.

"I've got it!" She yelped, suddenly, the chirpy interjection stalling the bickering in its tracks. "Cloud, kneel down about... Here," she said cryptically, pointing at a spot roughly two paces from the wall. "I don't time to explain, but it's going to work!" She protested when the former Soldier didn't move. Reluctantly, Cloud nodded – didn't look convinced at all – and took his place.

"Now Aerith, listen very carefully ok?" The girl nodded uncertainly at the request. "I am going to run up Cloud's back," the Soldier started in the background, but she paid him no mind, "and as soon as my feet touch him, you use the cudgel like a pole vault and propel it up straight into the air as long as it can get, ok?" The girl looked puzzled and Tifa smiled. "You trust me?"

Aerith nodded swiftly. "Yes, I do."

"Good, do it here," she commanded, standing the flower seller one pace behind Cloud. "As for you," she continued, looking at the kneeling Soldier warrior. "As soon as I'm off your back, get up and hold onto the bottom; it's a vital part in the manoeuvre and it won't work if you don't. Let's go!"

Before the others could protest, she ran at full pelt towards the kneeling mercenary. Sub-consciously she counted the paces before she performed a light jump and then ran on again. Her feet were, somehow, tracking along the centre of the huge sword, the magnetic locks holding it straight and true despite the sudden motion upon it.

At the tip of the blade she leapt forwards and performed a kick with her left foot against the wall, within a split second she used the pendulum motion to force her right foot into the stone, and astonishingly executed a kick-turn off the wall and higher into the air. As she had anticipated, Aerith was now beneath her, desperately holding the cudgel extended.

Tifa's body faded to the left of the metal staff and she took immediate advantage, wrapping her fingertips onto it and spiralling around the pole like a top, before she leapt back towards the wall. She angled her body and felt her fingers grab onto the metal safety rail. Coolly, the fighter tucked her knees towards her chest and rocked through the motion. As the energy subsided, she hauled herself up over the railing to the safety of the platform above.

She rolled to her feet and over to a small panel set in the railing behind the ladder. Calmly she depressed the red switch, and, to her amazement, a set of hydraulic pumps pushed the ladder out; within seconds it swung in a quarter arc down to the floor. A pair of colossal clamps secured the ladder at the bottom.

On the ground below, Aerith moved first - at Cloud's order - and began her slow ascent of the metal rungs. Tifa leant over the edge and shouted encouragement at the woman. Lifting her head back up she scanned the area swiftly, noting a set of stairs that led up the roof.

"It's the only way," she announced quietly as the pair joined her suddenly.

"No! I can't... It's too open!" Aerith squealed in protest.

Cloud planted his hands firmly on her shoulders. "Listen to me!" He hissed, the mercenary's face barely an inch away from Aerith's. "I told you in Sector Five that you'd be pursued more than ever! This is what it means to be an enemy of the Shinra." He pulled his hands away and looked at her gently. "You can have regret later, but we have to survive." He smiled suddenly. "Embrace your dreams," he cooed suddenly.

Aerith's face went white with shock. "Cloud? Why do you say those words?"

He pointed at the uniform. "It is what I was always taught; I may not be Soldier anymore, but I still have dreams. You do too, right?" She nodded uncertainly. "Then hold them close to your heart, and no matter what happens, always stand by them." Cloud suddenly pulled the huge sword from his back. "And always live for them!" He chanted loudly.

She had watched the scene in confusion; she didn't understand what was behind the Soldier's sudden strange behaviour. It was almost as though Cloud had suddenly become a completely different person; despite recalling their conversation by the well, things didn't sit right with her. But the covenant she had made with herself meant that where he was, she would be too. Whatever it was that his time in the Shinra had taught him was enough to inspire Aerith.

Shaking the distraction from her mind, Tifa led point and rushed towards the stairs. Up close the walls were a dark green and didn't fit the world in which they were set while, at the top, was a simple fire door. Apprehension filled her as the words Cloud had said earlier in the hangar came flooding back; this exit was too small, who knew what lay behind it?

Tifa swallowed the doubts, forcing herself to focus on tranquillity and calm instead. She willed total control upon herself, her mind devoid of all preconception and fear, as clear as the waters of a crystal lake. When she was satisfied that the code had been obeyed, she rushed up the stairs. As she cleared the last step she performed a form of uppercut that meant the back of her fist knocked the door open. As the wind smashed against her body she ducked into the tiny alcove beside the door.

For five seconds she waited for the inevitable gunfire while preparing to improvise her next move, but it never came. Driven, she stormed through the door way to find herself on a thin platform the snaked around the outside of the building. Behind her Cloud shouted for them to make a break for it and, instantly, she was on her way. The metal platform shook nervously as the weight of the dash took effect; part of her could hear the screws and joists straining to peel away from the building.

But then the platform suddenly took a sharp turn to the right. Coolly, Tifa executed the same baseball slide she had used in the sewers, waiting for her feet to stop against the bars of the safety rail, before she sprang up onto her feet and continued to run.

Suddenly her ears picked up the sound of air repeatedly being cut through repeatedly, before it made to rise off the ground. Confused, she stopped and turned to the west where the source of the sound was. At first nothing obvious came to light, but after a few seconds had passed, Tifa caught sight of the sound's source; it was a grey speck on the horizon, but it also was steadily flying towards them. After another moment, she recognised the object.

"Get moving! It's a Shinra chopper!" Cloud yelled in horror. Apparently, he'd recognised it too.

Marshalled by the cry, Tifa ran at full speed again, the sound of the chopping in the air was akin to a tornado ripping across a defenceless town so closely that she couldn't have ignored it if she'd tried. Forcing herself to ignore the compulsion to look back, she ran on, the platform keeping them tight against the wall.

A repeated rumbling sounded across the sky and suddenly Tifa found herself nearly blinded by the huge chips of concrete that were spat from the wall. At their side, banking effortlessly along the side of the platform, was the enemy chopper. The craft had been designed with awkward rigid angles rather the smooth curves of traditional aircraft, the huge rotor blades somehow avoiding what had seemed, to her at least, as the inevitable collision with the wall of the building over their heads.

Up close, she grimly noted the gigantic triple barrelled gun that spiralled menacingly as it spat out bullets that were easily as big as a car tyre in length; the Shinra were definitely not fooling around with them and had pulled out all the big guns. Desperately they rushed on somehow avoiding the shrapnel in their wake as it fell all around them. Tifa risked a glance back to see that Cloud actually had Aerith in his arms as they continued their futile effort to escape.

Angrily, she reached into her side pack and pulled clear an egg-shaped grenade, which snugly fit into the palm of her hand murderously. Thinking fast she clung tightly to the bomb, pulled the pin, and, calmly as she reached the number 'two' in her counting, she threw the projectile out over the side. As she had expected, the lift of the machine caused the grenade to divert downwards, but the delay in throwing it meant that the explosion still had some effect.

The vibration from the attack caused the craft to weave and move in the air. Instantly the cannon fire had ceased – no doubt as a means to stop the craft from inadvertently flipping itself over. Tifa breathed hard as she took immediate advantage and dashed further along the platform. Ahead, she saw that the chopper was moving on towards an open rooftop.

She didn't bother guessing the size of the roof, but she did realize that – just by looking at it – there was room for at least ten people. Her gut sank when she realized something else; within a matter of seconds they would be completely and utterly exposed. Looking around frantically for a means of escape, Tifa spotted eventually a door directly ahead of the platform and one ninety degrees to the left of it. Silently, she rushed forward; Cloud - still carrying Aerith - chased spiritedly in her wake.

When the door directly ahead suddenly sprang open, four guards immediately ran from within and dropped to one knee, their assault rifles engaged and sighted for combat. Tifa thought fast and leapt onto the wafer thin rail of the platform, dashing away quickly. The decoy tactic worked and the guards began to shoot at her.

As the space between the open platform and the rooftop narrowed, the fighter shocked everyone by leaping from the edge with her hands wide open. The guards could not resist the opportunity and continued aiming directly for her. Gritting her teeth and doing all she could to make her frame as lean as possible, she watched the edge of the building creep closer, before she locked her fingertips to it and anchored herself in place.

Back on the green platform, Cloud had been ordered by Aerith to let her down. He took advantage of having both free hands by drawing his weapon. He was about to barge past the flower seller when all of a sudden the cudgel that she had anchored to her waist floated upwards and swathes of green light surrounded her frame like it had in the sewer.

"When the spell happens," she shouted over the wind caused by the elevation of the aircraft. "Run for the door to the left; don't stop!"

Not waiting for an answer from the former Soldier, she quickly began to chant again and Cloud swallowed fear he held for both Tifa and her safety and focused on the task at hand. Looking over the edge of the platform, he saw that his childhood friend was anchored and waiting to be given cover to climb back up.

Aerith suddenly threw both hands forwards, the palms upright and fingers outstretched. At first little seemed to happen, but then a blue mist coated the area in front of the guards. The mist spread in the time it would take to blink an eye and it suddenly formed a thick layer that caked the solid grounding that had once been stable roof beneath their attackers. It only took one misstep from one of them and, before he knew it, all four of the guards fell off balance due to the frictionless surface, landing on stomachs, backs and rear-ends.

Cloud wasted no time and rushed over to Tifa, locking his hand to her forearm and she did likewise to his, before he pulled her back from the brink to safety. Instantly the pair vaulted to their feet, as the guards clumsily repeated their falls on the slick frozen surface. Aerith caught up to them quickly and soon they rushed across the roof, Tifa repeated her unorthodox opening of the door and the group found themselves on an abandoned fire escape.

The stairwells continuously double backed amongst themselves all the way for the concrete shaft. For Cloud, staring down at the multiple levels was a dizzying and nauseating experience; it felt like he was staring into a whirlpool from the deck of a ship that was slowly being hauled towards its core.

Shrugging off the discomfort, he followed in the wake of Aerith and Tifa, his huge sword anchored to his back due to the lack of room afforded for combat. The first ten levels had been devoured swiftly, the building shook violently and numerous times they heard wall fragments being torn asunder and spat towards them. The helicopter, it seemed, was still intent on erasing their very existence with no interest or thought of arrest.

As they reached the end of the eleventh floor stairwell he watched Tifa open the door and lead them into an exposed alleyway. Directly ahead was a mesh fence that prevented access to the four lines of railway beyond. The wall across the tracks was smeared and wet with fresh graffiti, and, to their relief, the vandals' access point had not been sealed away.

Taking the break without a second thought, they rushed onto the lines and swiftly crossed the tracks, always alert for any tell tale sign of an approaching train, all the while doing all they could to make it difficult for the helicopter to follow them. The high cables that powered the locomotives meant that the craft could only shoot down upon the track, rather than bank along it like on the platform they had used to escape the worker's area.

As a result the crafts accuracy was somewhat wayward; for forty paces the trio continued running the gauntlet until they reached a cover point, which turned out to be a small outbuilding. It had once been used for high speed cleaning of rail cars as they passed between sectors.

Standing away from the rail-track, the trio gathered their breath and Tifa gasped as she looked out of a side window to the left. Her eyes barely registered the numerous girders and giant buildings in the distance. What had caught her eye was the solitary sign that she saw directly ahead of her.

"We're back in Sector Seven!" She yelped excitedly; she caught both Cloud and Aerith by surprise. "That sign proves it," she explained while pointing directly ahead.

"'Texas Beer Company'?" Aerith replied in a bewildered voice. "How can you know from that?"

"Because it's my sign!" Tifa announced, doing little to erase the aura of confusion and surprise that hung around them. "I won Seventh Heaven from a bet – I've gotta tell you guys about it another time – and we're the only bar in the slums that stocks that kind of beer. No other sector has a taste for the drinks from the Middle continent."

Tifa beamed at the both of them; she was damned proud of that little tid bit. "We finally made it!"

Cloud nodded in agreement. "If that's true, then we must be directly behind the main town."

Swiftly, he ran three windows ahead and pressed his face against the glass. The girls, both amused and stunned by the action, decided to leave him to it. For thirty seconds it looked like a pointless venture until he pointed out of the shelter. "I can see the plate support; it's North-West from here. Inside the tunnel and ahead, there'll be a track access point for engineers. We can use that access point and go through to the pillar."

With a roar of enthusiasm and delight, the three fighters dashed from the cover and into the darkness of the main line tunnel ahead.

For ten minutes the trio had dashed through the darkness, Cloud had wagered that the Shinra had ordered a critical alert for all staff to pull out of the sector; the entire engineer's access point had been vacant, like it was after the end of the world. Only after the thought popped into his mind did the mercenary realise the grim prophecy behind it.

Cloud led point as the engineer's access came to an abrupt end. The new area was a narrow gully that had a single line of track which ended at a pair of archaic buffers. Aside from that, there was nothing else there. Puzzled, Cloud looked back along the track past the buffers, wondering if he had miscalculated and led them back towards Sector Six. It was only as he caught a vague glimpse of numerous wrecks did he understand that they were beyond the fabled Train Graveyard railway station.

The trio dashed along the single line of track, Cloud leading from the front, moving quickly but carefully. When they came to the station it was naturally deserted. Cloud could sense that Tifa was hoping that meant the people had known and gotten away from the Sector and to somewhere safe. Hurriedly, the group cut through the cobbled street beyond the station back towards the core.

Tifa suddenly ran out in front of them; rather than go around the pile of scrap that marked the route, she jumped onto a thick breeze-block and executed a diving roll over the scrap. Behind her, Cloud did not see the beautifully executed landing roll that staved off injury from the dangerous, but also the breathtaking form of movement.

He led Aerith round the traditional way to find Tifa staring at the opening in the fence, still guarded by a sole member of the Shinra guard. Cloud drew his large sword and rushed to the side of his childhood friend.

"I can't let anyone through," the nameless sentry announced bravely.

"You'll die if you stay on duty here," Cloud suddenly countered. "Notice how no one else stands by your side; they've been ordered away from this place for their own safety."

The guard frowned. "The other man was the same," he began, "but it's my sworn duty as an infantryman."

Tifa rolled her eyes before throwing a fist at the man, pulling it just short. "This is not a time to die for nothing," she suddenly seethed. "Fight us another time, but we want to save lives; innocents don't deserve to die!"

At first it seemed to avail them nothing before he stepped suddenly aside. "I'll be demoted or worse, but you're right. No one deserves to die over this. But next time, I'm taking you in!" The man spat defiantly, before he rushed off into the Sector.

"He's going to need luck for that," Cloud replied with a smile before his shifted back into a neutral expression. "We can't waste any more time; the pillar could drop at any second."

Tifa suddenly pulled a keycard from her sleeve and handed it to Aerith. "I'm sorry to do this," she began meekly, "but I have to go with Cloud; this is our fight."

Aerith appeared to want to protest but the brunette didn't give her a chance. "Past this pillar and inside of the heart of town is my bar, remember? The one I called Seventh Heaven. It's Avalanche's home base. Use this card and hit the switch underneath the pinball machine against the wall; it'll lead to a secret underground room. There's a little girl named Marlene in the building, if you can't find her anywhere else, then check in that secret room..."

"Don't worry about her," Aerith suddenly cut in. She seemed to understand what was being asked of her. "I'll get her to a safe place. You two better hurry, we'll be ok!"

Before they could say anymore, the flower seller darted through towards the centre of Sector Seven's major town.

The two warriors turned back to the pillar and saw that beyond the fence a stairwell big enough for two abreast led up. The pair craned their necks briefly to see that it coiled around the central support pillar like a snake. Cloud guessed that the pillar was made from reinforced concrete; somewhere behind the stone exterior thick girders sent energy safely into the ground to stop the plat wobbling in high wind. The pillar was at least six metres wide.

As they rushed onto first set all of a sudden they heard the sound of someone tumbling and screaming. A split second later and Biggs skidded to a halt against the railing at the top of their stairwell. The warrior struggled and sat with his back against the rail. Cloud shouted up and the man turned to look at them before a spear suddenly impaled through the left side of his chest.

Tifa screamed and dashed upwards; up ahead Cloud saw the warrior place both hands on the shaft of the spear and push as hard as possible. The arrow point skewered through his back and the blood of his wound acted as a lubricant, forcing the shaft through his body as slickly and swift as an eel through water. Cloud watched in awe as the attacker slid into view and Biggs had the cognition to bash the club into his attacker's temple. As the assailant staggered from the blow, Tifa suddenly leapt on the enemy's back, planting one hand on his chin and the other on the scalp above the man's crown, before savagely snapping the man's neck; the sound as fearsome and loud as a gunshot.

The fighter crassly shoulder barged the body over the side of the stairwell before she knelt down beside her friend. Softly she touched her palm to his face and he smiled warmly at her.

"Bastards are using anti-gravity suits to float..." He croaked almost lifelessly. "Never... Saw him coming... Heh... But that look... On... His face... He didn't... Think I'd do... That..."

"Hang on! It'll be ok!" Tifa protested vainly.

Biggs reached and she firmly gripped his hand. "It's... Over for... Me... By the time... You get... Me... Out... Plate would... Fall... But get them... Get those... Scum..." Bigg's head rolled backwards and Tifa saw his pupils glaze over. Cloud watched as she threw her head towards the plate and screamed fiercely. He made to go closer when she suddenly leapt to her feet and, snarling with bestial hate, she darted up the second flight of stairs.

Cloud felt terror as he saw her eyes; they were wild and primal; it was as if he had accidentally stumbled upon a hibernating bear. His friend was no longer thinking of mere fighting, she had vengeance on her mind. Sensing her lack of control and vulnerability, he drew the huge sword and darted after her.

* * *

The little fingers felt tiny as they clutched tightly to her palm. Aerith had been overcome by how sweet the little girl was, even as she had clumsily aimed a pistol at her. The Seventh Sector was a lot darker than the fifth. Aerith had been alarmed at how the people fought in the streets. Yet, they all had this smile on their face, they relished, no they loved this violent way of life. The young girl that pointed the firearm at her symbolised this far more aptly than other image.

Aware that the child had been raised to defend herself, Aerith knew she had to make the little girl trust her judgement. Calmly the flower seller had talked about Tifa and Cloud, the way they bravely fought against the evil Shinra. The young girl, unlike many youths of the city, found it difficult to give up her distrust, and they had been at an uncomfortable stand off for a good five minutes before Marlene had finally relented.

The beaming smile on the youngster's features showed no hint that there was any distrust that remained lurking beneath the surface. Aerith had carefully guided the young child through to the Sector Six gate, where they had joined a queue of people leaving. News had certainly travelled and for twenty minutes they thought that progress would be impossible. That was until a tinker and his family ushered them through as one large unit. Aerith had given her eternal thanks to which the old man had simply advised her to run.

Marlene had gripped tightly to Aerith's hand as they escaped into the ruined roadway that formed the join to Sector Five. Aerith felt a thrill of fear course through her as she walked the streets again. While journeying with Cloud they had endured a painstaking stealth advance, but with a girl so young, Aerith couldn't afford to conduct that kind of caution.

So they had rushed through the centre of the road as quickly as possible, even though from the back of her mind she could hear Cloud screaming about how exposed they were. In her mind Aerith had the phrases attached to the fire and ice materia orbs ready to roll off her tongue at any enemy. Her cudgel was also held at the ready just in case she had to enter combat. Despite how naïve Cloud thought she was she had been holding her own against those Turk people for a long time after all; she was convinced that she could handle the situation fine enough.

Together, flower seller and child had covered half distance when Aerith noted a manned roadblock. Coolly, she slipped her hand into her dress, slowly pulling free the identity card while her right hand hung by her side, hiding the cudgel from sight but readying herself to strike at a moment's notice.

To her surprise, however, the guards simply waved them through. Marlene smiled chirpily, acting every inch the innocent child of the young mother. For twenty yards the facade held, but Aerith froze as she heard numerous rifles clicking and locking. Taking a deep breath she turned around.

"Good run, Aerith," A familiar voice cut in suddenly.

Aerith's face drained of blood. "Tseng?" She cried in shock as the man stepped into view.

The man was around 5'6 tall and decked out in a sharp black suit, the creases sharp enough to cut through rock. His white shirt and black tie within the suit had a regal elegance and professionalism about it. His face was soft, almost feminine, while his dark black hair hung in a short ponytail that just touched the tip of his neck.

"You have always run, and always you have been watched. But the time has come for you to do your duty," Tseng announced in a softly spoken tone, almost as if he were talking to a priest, rather than a fugitive.

"I won't go with you!" Aerith shrieked with her eyes elongated, like that of a cat's.

"You wouldn't want to cause any trouble for the girl in your care, correct?" The soft tone somehow made the threat sound all the more chilling. "Your flowers and dedication to the care of others has always made you easy to control. Now, let's not waste any more of the President's precious time. Come with us."

"No!" Aerith screamed and as a guard came towards them, she extended her cudgel, the weapon's uppercut knocking the man backwards into a disused road machine. At the action all the rifle weapons were trained upon Marlene.

"Enough games," Tseng announced. "Make one more move and the girl is dead. Then you can explain what happened to her loving father, the psychotic Barret Wallace."

For a long minute there was a tense stand off; Aerith could feel the fear of the child and resolved not to abandon her. In her mind's eye, Aerith saw herself spiral in front of the girl and take every bullet from the militia, in order her to live. But then, she saw the girl being abused even then. She had to negotiate; they wanted her, not the girl.

"I'm the one you want," Aerith suddenly orated, "then take me. But understand, I will see the girl safe in the care of my mother before I go anywhere with you."

"You propose a trade?" Tseng asked in a puzzled voice.

Aerith nodded gravely. "A simple trade, yes; the girl's safety for my surrender."

For thirty seconds it looked like nothing would come of the trade, but when that agonisingly long time finally passed, Tseng nodded. "I only have a warrant for your arrest; taking the girl serves the President no purpose."

"We go to my house first!" Aerith shouted quickly. "Otherwise we don't have a deal."

Tseng nodded. "I'm nothing if not fair, Aerith. Even if you do think I'm a monster, I want you to remember that." Turning his attention to the guards, he nodded in their direction. "Secure the road. Rude and I can handle this."

Instantly the guards returned to their posts and Aerith comforted the girl, explaining to her that everything would be alright before they made their long walk to Sector Five.

* * *

Her mind was empty.

It was as if it were a polished mirror, clear and unblemished. She felt her shallow and controlled breathing flow through her seamlessly as she bounded up the stairs. Quickly she leapt upwards and kicked out with the both feet. The Shinra soldier, floating thanks to the anti-gravity suit, helplessly sailed backwards and was impaled on a sharp pole of the supporting frame around the pillar.

Uninterested in the dying man, Tifa continued her advance up to the main deck of the support tower. Ignoring the stairs, she climbed the rails themselves, utilising the narrow space to her advantage as the guards sent sparks flying through the air where their internal motors ran out of space to function. One of the enemy fighters tried to pull her through the opening towards the colossal drop.

Tifa shocked him when she let the man have full control of her motion, the startled man flung backwards. At the last second, the fighter jumped upwards and stomped with both feet on the visor of the assailant, using the motion to propel herself up to the next level of the pillar while pushing him further away from it. Sighting the circular disc of the technical platform merely twenty feet above, Tifa ignored the enemy and made getting to the top her sole intention.

* * *

Cloud had been startled once he'd rounded the first bend, his childhood friend was nowhere in sight. Thinking back to the mind bending routines she had utilised to get out of tight spots, he realised that she was probably on some death defying route to the top. It left him the stairwell gauntlet to run.

That was twenty minutes ago; and he'd lost count of the times his sword had cut, thrust and hammered through the guards that stood before him. He found it tricky to find grip on the steel stairwell, the blood on the soles of his feet removing all friction from underneath him. Ahead two guards stood on opposite sides of the shaft. He easily saw the sickle-blades in their hands and knew that they wanted him to go right through them.

Cloud thought fast and ran at them, baiting their assault. Calmly he counted backwards from five and as he found himself a pace away, the warrior performed a sudden backflip back down the stairwell. His ploy had worked, the guards had committed to the attack and their long handled blades heavily wounded each other. Swiftly he dispatched the pair of them before rushing along the curling stairwell.

"Pity about the orders," a voice suddenly called. Cloud ducked into cover instantly. "Times like this you wish it were like the old days."

"No time like the present," the stranger's comrade announced with a sly grin.

"You saying I should spear her?" The guard asked. Cloud looked beyond them to notice a heavily bleeding Jessie lying helpless at their feet.

"She's dying; might as well give her something to remember this place by."

Their conversation was interrupted by a raging cry; both men spun around and barely saw the huge broadsword that smashed through their skulls, ripping clear sinew, bone and organ. Callously Cloud kicked the bodies away and knelt at her side.

"Oh Cloud!" Jessie announced, soft tears rolling from her eyes. "You... You came back..."

"I wouldn't be anywhere else; you hired me to take the Shinra on right?" Cloud asked instantly.

She nodded. "And you're magnificent..." Jessie coughed suddenly, blood dribbling down onto her heavily stained clothes. "But... We caused so... Much... Suffering... I'm glad I saw... You... This... This last time..." She wept happily.

"Don't say last!" Cloud called to her, trying to keep her focus on him. If she passed out now there was no saving her. "The war's only just beginning."

Jessie smiled. "You were... Always... One of us... But maybe... We deserve... This..." She reached up and Cloud took her hand in his. "I'm... Dying... Cloud... Don't let... Our... Lives be... Wasted... Ple..." Before she could finish her sentence, Jessie's eyes widened and she slumped back to the stairwell.

Cloud reached down and softly closed her eyes, before gazing up at the top of the stairwell, and rushing to the goal with more desire than he ever would have thought he had.

* * *

Rage powered him on; his arm, despite the constant effort of the fight, felt no heavier than when he had first breached the pillar defences. The man was in control now and he liked this feeling of power. The thrill of battle had claimed him; this was his habitat, the place where he belonged. Up ahead, the enemy helicopter circled around the gigantic stone structure, the undercarriage of the craft spewing ammunition towards the engineer's platform.

Barret defied the assault, refusing to duck into cover; instead he had his arm constantly levelled, the Gatling gun firing back at an alarmingly fast rate. The craft, hampered by the numerous criss-crossing girders that sent energy into the ground miles below to prevent the entire plate collapsing, ducked away and back over the horizon.

Yet, the gun-armed assailant did not take any breather or break; instead he dashed around to the other side, ready for another sneak assault. A swathe of deadly accurate enemy fire began its reprisal and he cursed as he ducked into cover. Calmly Barret threw his arms into the air, both crossed into an X shape. Unseen by himself, Wedge, on a little known plate access area, sniped back at the enemy.

"Barret!" A female voice called and he looked around the area in confusion before he saw the familiar looking pair reaching his position. A huge grin formed on his face and he rose to his feet.

"Yo Tifa! We's thought that you's gonna sit this one out!" He shouted back before walking towards her and Cloud who stood a few paces behind her, looking slightly out of breath.

"Once we heard what was going on we had to be here. Have the Shinra made their move yet?" Tifa replied.

Barret shook his head. "They's been trying to get up here, but we's kept them suckers out!"

They were suddenly interrupted by a sound akin to a plague of locusts rising from beneath a dry crop-field. The three Avalanche members stood together, their eyes locked tight to the horizon, seeking out their enemy.

Within a heartbeat the enemy revealed itself, the helicopter rising from beneath the plate sharply. Before they had chance to do anything, a figure leapt from the craft and rushed towards a colossal control panel set beneath the pillar. Cloud recognised the figure as the Turk member who had tried to capture Aerith in the Sector Five slums.

"Don't do this!" Tifa pleaded before the man had acted. "Nobody should die because of us."

The Turk flashed her a wicked smile before sliding a small stick into the panel and twisting it through ninety degrees. A deafening alarm sounded over the area for a few seconds before it subsided, being replaced by a constant spinning of red lights.

"Too late slick," the cocky Turk replied. "The President offered extra overtime to do this; it's a dirty job, shame I like that, eh bitch?"

Barret snarled. "You dirty fuck! All you's jus' gonna murder people to ge' at us? You's nothing but scum."

"We have to stop the bomb!" Tifa shouted.

"Oh now you're not doing that, girl!" Reno rebutted as she flicked his right wrist, revealing the thin tonfa weapon.

Tifa dashed forwards and darted to the Turk's left, determined to remove the advantage from him. Reno surprised her by throwing the weapon into his left hand, with no time to prepare for the assault, the Turk hit her hard in the chest with a wicked blow. He quickly followed up with a back-handed strike to her temple and Tifa was whipped from her feet, falling roughly against the console, consciousness gone from her.

Cloud roared at the attack and darted towards the man. Realising that the Turk was more than the average Shinra lackey, Cloud attacked with a swift stab, instead of a cleaving assault. The blade grazed Reno's left side, but Cloud was unable to wheel away from the attack quickly enough.

Ever the opportunist, the Turk slapped his tonfa against Cloud's right wrist. The impact was immediate, Cloud lost all grip with the right hand and very nearly lost hold of his weapon entirely. Reno saw Cloud was in trouble and swung heavily with the tonfa, only to be caught off guard as the Soldier threw his hurt wrist up as defence, allowing the spiked armlet to take the brunt of the blow. Savagely Cloud kicked the enemy back and away from him, regaining the firm grip he'd once had of the handle of the Buster Sword.

Barret seized immediate control and unleashed a torrent of slugs at the Turk. Defiantly, the enemy spiralled around one side of the pillar. The Corel fighter, consumed by adrenaline and battle fever, immediately pursued his quarry. As he rounded the pillar he recoiled in horror, ahead he saw the Turk's tonfa outstretched directly at him. The tip was glowing a deep red shade as energy flowed along it, before a large ball of flame was shot from the end, crashing into the fighter.

The short sleeved jacket caught like a dry match and Barret screamed while desperately beating at the flames.

"Drop and roll!" Cloud barked. Set afire, Barret did not protest as usual and vigorously rolled along the ground, the flames dying down.

Suddenly the sound of gunfire punched through the air around the Turk's vicinity. Immediately Reno ducked away, using the top spike of the pillar that protruded from the ground beneath them as his cover. Cloud took advantage of the Turk's distraction and knelt at Barret's side, smothering the flames swiftly.

"Who else is around here?" Cloud asked, trying to discern whether or not the shooter was enemy or ally. To his surprise, Barret smirked up at him in a knowing way.

"Tha's Wedge. He's still shootin'; sucker might be a coward, bu' he's Avalanche!"

The happiness at the advantage was short lived as the helicopter responsible for giving Reno entry to the pillar spiralled in Wedge's direction and opened fire. Neither Barret nor Cloud could tell from their position if he had made it free.

A pair of fireballs coursed out of the corner of their eyes; Cloud thought quickly and held his blade out horizontally, the attacks being diverted around them. But, to their horror, the Turk did not drop the stance and instead continued his assault. Cloud continued the cover as Barret stepped around him and opened fire.

The distraction worked for a moment before Cloud was forced to round the pillar. Barret kept up the assault before ducking back after the mercenary, and the flames from Reno's attack clashed harmlessly with the stone pillar, licking out past the pair. Barret leant back out and opened a few shots before covering again; little of the attack getting through to the enemy, if at all…

* * *

As he stared down the tonfa as if it were a rifle, Reno felt confidence ooze through him. Avalanche might have been good to cause as much damage as they had, but they were out of their class against the likes of him. He had been highly disappointed by the woman; all the guards had been talking about her like she was some kind of legendary cage fighter, but truth to tell she was just a woman who relied too much on the way averages work.

He smirked as he, recalled switching his weapon to his other hand; for some reason she hadn't expected that at all. He supposed most people didn't; Reno wasn't wholly ambidextrous, but he had trained often enough with Rude who, not only could fight or work with both hands, but was a brutal fighter. As a result, he had learned how to do enough damage with his left hand if he needed to. It certainly had done enough for her.

The other two had been slightly more of a challenge; he'd managed to outfox Cloud at first, but that Shinra training had kicked in for him to stave off immediate defeat. While Cloud was definitely someone to be wary of, that Barret character was unbelievably dangerous with that firearm of his. Now though, with the chopper taking care of Avalanche's eye in the sky, the playing field was much more in his favour.

As he calmly shot off ball after ball of flame, he began to think carefully; the pair had realised that he'd be delayed and they could knock off a few shots, before he was able to ultimately attack. Thinking outside the box, Reno calmly focused and pretending to be letting loose a shot, before ducking back into cover. He smiled as he felt the weapon fully charged in his wrist, and he stepped out from behind his cover, waiting.

Suddenly, he felt fire flare and cursed himself for only a second before he realised that it was not him that had discharged the energy. Panicked, he turned on the spot and saw the girl from earlier; she was stood at full stretch, the egg sized lump she'd received from crashing against the console was beginning to recede slowly. Reno watched as he eyes flew open before he, almost desperately, attempted to wheel the attack upon her.

But she was too fast; she stepped in with a huge left punch that smashed against the top centre of his ribcage. Staggering backwards with the force of the blow Reno felt the fighter follow up with a fist that smashed against his right cheek, barely a split second later he felt the woman's elbow crash against his temple.

As he attempted to roll with the blows and recover some strength, he watched as Tifa spiralled through 180 degrees before slamming her left elbow into his groin area. Instantly Reno doubled over and a moment later a huge uppercut from Tifa sent him staggering uncontrollably.

The cold metal of the hand rail that circled the engineer's deck pressed against his back and Reno coughed blood onto the floor in front of him. As he looked up, dogged and defiant in the face of the brutal blows he had received, his eyes devoured the girl's movements as she rushed towards him. Just when he expected her to plough into him, she surprised him by leaping up into the air. Realization dawned on him and Reno braced himself as she executed a sublime backwards flip, her right foot crashing against his chin, lifting him from his feet and catapulting him over the edge.

Air instantly brushed at him and he frantically flailed around as he fell, hoping to grasp onto anything that would break his fall. His right arm wrapped around a thick pipe and he felt the joints in the elbow and shoulder stretch and groan in a way they shouldn't. Painfully, he grasped on with his left hand and hoped with all his will that the weakened limbs would not give way.

Suddenly, he heard the sound of rotor blades from above and grinned. Brazenly, the pilot swooped through the narrow gaps in the girders and hovered adjacent to him. Reno saw his partner, Rude, anchor a line to the floor and leap from the craft, before the helicopter began to lift back towards the plate. Once Rude was level, Reno felt the braces strap tightly around his body, anchoring him safely to his compatriot, before the chopper made its escape from the Sector.

Despite his defeat, Reno couldn't help but smirk as they passed by the pillar. After all, with the precautions already set and no way to reverse the settings before it was too late, Avalanche was dead all the same.

* * *

The trio cursed as they saw the man pulled safely into the confines of the helicopter. For a moment they drifted into their anger over his escape before Tifa snapped herself to normality. She rushed over to the console and began to press a few buttons. Her eyes attempted to decode all the dials and switches that were constantly blipping at her, but nothing made sense.

"I don't understand it..." She mumbled before turning to look at Cloud. "Can you try?"

Cloud instantly wheeled over and carefully scanned the semi-circular console. At first he was staggered by the amount of charts and read-outs that stared him in the face but he shook himself of the confusion and he focused as best he could. He knew that if this truly was where all the plate safety was controlled, then there had to be some logic to it.

Immediately he ruled out a time bomb; this was something far more sophisticated than that. It had to be. A simple bomb would not have enough destructive capacity to bring down a structure as colossal and thick as the plate support. To the right of the console he could see read-outs which told him the amount of immediate tension on the pillar support. Cloud immediately realised the ploy and stepped back from the console dejectedly.

"This is no ordinary strategy... The Shinra are going to apply inner tension to the pillar support." His tone was grave as he made his analysis.

"Huh? Wuz tha' s'pose ta mean? I's no' a doctor!" Barret replied gutturally.

Cloud sighed. "They're going to, literally, drag the pillar down and the plate along with it. Think of it like kicking the table legs out from underneath it," he added when Barret just looked on in confusion.

The sound of rotor blades filled the air and the wind that came with it was enough to lift Tifa's hair up. They looked for the cause before spotting a helicopter pull up beside the pillar, standing along the edge of the chopper was yet another Turk. He wore the same sharp pressed suit, though his long black hair was more regal looking and held in a tidy ponytail.

"Your Soldier is correct," the figure announced over a loud speaker. "It's too late to stop the incident from happening."

"Lis'en up, jackass!" Barret shouted angrily. "We's no' gonna go away! Even with this!"

The Turk chuckled in response. "Brave words, so long as they don't prove to be your epitaph."

The Turk brushed down the front of his suit, almost like he was removing a spec of dirt that had somehow been flecked onto the material. "The internal concrete supports are constantly expanding, forcing the main pillar material to crack and shatter. When there's too much strain, the whole thing will collapse like a house of cards; it is only a matter of time."

"Shu' your hole!" Barret ranted before aiming with his arm-mounted gun and opening fire, for two seconds slugs attacked the craft.

And still the Turk remained calm. It infuriated Barret to no end but then the Turk spoke into the loud speaker again. "I wouldn't do that, or you just might injure my guest."

The threat was calmly worded and yet the words sounded so cold that it would burn to the touch. Before the trio could ask who he meant, the Turk dragged clear Aerith, and forced her to her knees.

"Aerith!" Tifa shrieked; Barret looked confusingly at Cloud who shook his head as if he would explain later.

"Ah, so it is true that you know each other? Excellent news; the President will be pleased to know that you had no effect on our end game." Tseng replied swiftly.

Aerith suddenly stretched out towards Tifa. "Tifa! It's ok, don't worry about me! She's safe, she's waiting..."

"Silence!" The Turk spat suddenly, executing a viscous back-handed slap that sent the girl sprawling to her back before a sudden vibration shook the whole platform and a part of the concrete sheered away from the pillar.

"Ah, so it is starting," the Turk announced delightfully. "I'd say you have around two minutes; if you run you could make it. I wish you luck." Before any more could be said, the chopper execute its final lift and darted away from the pillar.

Beneath their feet, the trio could feel the constant shaking of the structure; it was if their entire balance had been stripped from them. Tifa had frantically run about the plate, all three knew that they had no way of getting down from the plate in time to run.

Suddenly Cloud and Barret looked on as she leapt onto the very rail of the plate and unhooked a huge crane. Baffled, they stared as she sighted down the cable towards the edge of the Sector, the gates open and still struggling to feed crowds of people through. As if to answer their question Tifa looked at them and pointed with two fingers.

"We can swing out on this; hop on board," she called out casually.

"Say wha'?" Barret spluttered in a shocked tone of voice. "You's gots to be outta yo' mind! We's no' goin' to survive tha'!"

Cloud shook his head and ushered the man on. "Barret; it's completely nuts, I know, but just trust her; she knows what she's doing. On our way here, she pulled off some unbelievable escape methods. It's crazy, but it'll work!"

Bereft of other chances, the trio set themselves upon the colossal wire, which hung from a crane some half a mile off the floor of the slums. Barret formed the main wedge at the centre of the wire, with Tifa hanging on at the right of him, while Cloud sat himself on the man's shoulders and clung to the wire tightly.

All three took a huge gulp of air in, before they swung their weight back in tandem and then forward. The push of air slammed against them; as if they had driven a car into a tree, all three felt the air in their lungs fill through them sharply. Despite the pressure they clung tightly, all controlling the angle of the swing despite the lateral g-force that tried to force them wide. Grimly they locked eyes hopefully at the edge of the Sector, while behind them they heard the concrete pillar shatter and snap terminally.

* * *

President Shinra stood with his eyes locked upon the world below; he was the master of his own grand symphony, the strings of the Presidential orchestra serenading his masterpiece delightfully. The plate had begun to sag and weave ominously; Avalanche were down there and he wanted, no, he _had_ to see the chaos unfold.

From this high up he could see the pillar giving way, a crack some four hundred yards long had fissured up the centre, showering the slums with debris. Then the crack widened and he saw a chunk of concrete the size of house roof fly free. He was startled as another followed instantly, shadowed by yet another afterwards. It was as if he were watching a game of dominoes being played with his Metropolis.

The chain reaction exploded before him like a nuclear warhead. The upper plate shook violently and in the motion he saw the walkways to the reactor snap clear, rendering the mako outlet completely isolated from the Sector it served. Then the President felt himself grow ever more enthralled as the pillar began to tilt to the side.

Within the slums, a crowd of people the size of ants began to clash against one another, desperately trampling and pushing their way towards their only escape. Callously he smiled, the effort was futile; like pawns, they had been sacrificed on the chess board by their King.

Then the pillar finally gave way, cutting through the Sector like Death's scythe itself. An entire cluster of houses was wiped from existence by the collapse. The final girders holding the upper plate could not take the strain; they sagged and hung like a wet ceiling before finally the strain became too much and the buckles sprung clear. For one agonising moment it looked as if the pillar would hold.

But then it began to fall.

Out of the edges of the image, the President clapped gleefully as the in-fighting and frantic battle for survival took its toll. The upper plate was awash with people frantically rushing about, desperate for answers. In one moment, their opportunity to make it free was gone. The exits to the Sector disappearing as the upper tier sank like a ship adrift on an iceberg.

Volatile chemical stores flared into an inferno as the sparks from the grinding girders set them alight. For the lucky few, the explosions ended their lives swiftly and painlessly, but for the President that wasn't good sport; instead he feasted his eyes upon the people that were thrown from the edge to splatter into the slums, while others were impaled where the under girders were thrown through the ground like spears.

Then the chaos came to an end; the plate shattered and had formed a mountain of rubble and smoke, the debris echoing into the eternity of the night. As the orchestra reached the crescendo of their piece, the President sighed, fulfilled by the chaos that had unfolded below him. Not only had he rid the world of the terrorists, but had also gained the ultimate excuse to press on with his eventual goal for the people of Midgar. For the citizens, this was an attack on their freedom by the terrorists. For the Shinra, it was the perfect cover for this next move. It had been moving; simply beautiful and so exquisite that no words could even begin to fathom it all.

The President relished his announcement to the public and their new found faith in the new god.


	7. What we're fighting for

Chapter 7: - What we're fighting for

A cold breeze filtered against his fingertips, he could feel it behind black and unconscious eyes. Without the lids rolling back, he felt his fingers twitch. As the movements increased, the figure forced himself to open his eyes. The pupils expanded and drank in the sight of the plate high above his head.

With a groan Cloud planted his palms into the ground and pushed himself so that he sat up. Ahead, the dividing wall between sectors six and seven had crumbled, the gate had been pressed forward, while the wall had huge sections that had been cut cleanly away, leaving behind V shaped holes.

Flames lit up the darkness from where the volatile alcohol pumps had caught in the disaster. Cloud looked around the smashed and shattered park to note Tifa lay on her front at the lip of a sand pit, while Barret was knocked out in a sitting position, pressed against the straight wall of some child's playhouse.

The mercenary remembered that the trio had swung to freedom on some wire that hung from the plate above, just as the upper plate came crashing down. As he looked upon the chaos that the incident had left in its wake, Cloud knew that the Shinra had carried out the assault with no cause or concern for the innocents caught up in the wake.

A pale groan snapped him from the trance, and he made to help Tifa up, suddenly he heard a snarl of rage and he risked a glance at Barret. The burly man had leapt onto his feet and had a face that was confusing to read. Hot tears stung his cheeks and the water rolled delicately down towards his collar bone. Yet the forehead and cheeks glowed bright red with the fury that coursed through him.

"MARLENE!" He roared as he rushed over to the edge of the park, elbowing and shoving any debris from his path as if he were a bulldozer. "MARLENE!" He called out again, the word elongated and deafening, the futile cry bouncing off the shattered pillars, bricks and corpses that lay beyond the wall.

As Cloud and Tifa desperately rushed over towards him, Barret began to call out the names of the Avalanche members last seen in the sector. His words grew ever more frantic and bestial, becoming more grief stricken and incoherent by the second.

Suddenly the man snapped, angrily he pulled up his right arm and cocked the catch. Cloud dived against Tifa and knocked her from her feet, both of the warriors landing behind a thick stone pillar that had crossed the threshold. The Soldier silenced her before a protest could be made, the pair looked on as Barret opened fire blindly.

The slugs speared through dead bodies and sharp shards of chaos, he spiralled in a semi-circular arc, some of the slugs firing behind him. But the man didn't care, battle fury had claimed him, this was his war. The man would clear the debris and venture back for those he had left behind, possessed he advanced further towards the mouth of the entropy. He cared not for himself, he cared not for the Shinra, all he wanted was those he loved.

"The idiot is going to try and go in there, we have to stop him!" Cloud announced as he saw the danger.

"That gun will tear us to shreds if he accidentally crosses our path." Tifa cut in swiftly.

Cloud cursed and glanced around. "Then we have to stop him from distance." Suddenly he saw it, a large crane has snapped and the main shaft hung at an angle of forty five degrees to his right. As he pointed at it, Tifa nodded and leapt to her feet.

The mercenary watched her leave and kept his attention solely on the man who was willing to kill himself for nothing. He grimly knew that if Tifa's aerial intervention failed then he would have to throw himself into the line of fire. While the Soldier armour had been designed to stop a bullet, it had never been tested against assault rifles or gatling guns. Cloud doubted it would hold out more than one bullet which managed to hit the same area of his armour.

His heart filled his mouth as Barret neared the point where the gate normally stood. None of the seventh sector was visible due to the wall of fire and collapsed buildings that filled the gaping maw of the boundary wall. As he glanced up, Cloud saw Tifa dart along the crane and leap off the edge.

The next few seconds moved so slowly that it seemed to Cloud that the whole scene was taking place under water. Tifa had her body as streamlined as possible during the initial part of the fall, her arms folded flat against her body and the head acted as a splitter for the air resistance she met.

Halfway through the jump she flipped her body through 180 degrees and extended her right leg. Calmly she locked eyes to Barret below her and took aim. Then the foot collided with his temple, cannoning the man from his feet and into a pile of rocks. Barret fell without sound, before he made a growl and attempted to clamber to his feet. Cloud watched as the man staggered, and then fell to his face unconscious.

An hour had passed by before he watched Barret's eyes open. They didn't have the same fiery intensity about them, and Cloud watched the figure shake his head in confusion. He inched his hand closer to the huge blade on his back, just in case the figure attacked. For thirty long seconds Barret sat in a daze, before he leapt to his feet.

However, he did not reach for his weapon and instead raised his left fist, the knuckles bone white and the skin stretched as tight as possible. Angrily the man swung towards the entrance of Sector Seven and stared at the debris. Suddenly the figure's head drooped and he sighed heavily.

"Marlene..." He breathed out silently.

"Barret..." Tifa suddenly began nervously at the warrior's side. "Barret listen... Marlene. I think she's alive."

"Huh?" Barret responded sharply, his head rising swiftly, buoyed by the hopeful words.

"Just before Tseng flew away, Aerith looked directly at me and told me to not worry and that she was safe. I think she was talking about Marlene." Tifa continued before falling silent.

"Why you saying tha'! No way could anyone survive tha' shit!"

"Why would Tifa lie Barret?" Cloud cut in angrily from the edge of the park. "Aerith was a stranger to Sector Seven, she knew no one else there! Think about it, who else would Tifa know or care about at that point? Who else would she want to know was safe!"

Barret's head sank briefly before he raised it and stared at Tifa. "I's sorry girl, i's no' your fault. I hope to god that you's right though. But Biggs... Wedge... Jessie..." For a long minute no one spoke, no words were required, it was all too clear they'd met their end in the pillar.

"There was nothing we could have done to change it." Cloud finally interjected.

"You's think I's don' know that! Ah but they's died proud! They didn't run, they weren't cowards, even Wedge."

"It shouldn't have to be this way." Tifa responded with a sigh. "All those people that died, and for what?"

"Christ! This is fucked up!" Barret snorted. "Tifa's right! Jus' look at it! Ain't nothing there to say it was a village of people. The Shinra couldn't take us the right way, so they jus' destroy a tonne of people, all to strike at us!"

"Barret... Are you saying that it's our fault? That if we hadn't been here this would never have happened?" Tifa asked melancholically.

Barret shook his head furiously. "Oh no! Tifa that ain't it! Hell no! No matter where we's gonna be, the Shinra would have done this! It's them, those bastards up there, there ain't no one else responsible, never will be. I wants to show them that they haven't won yet! We's still gotta fight!"

"I'm... I'm not sure that's the way." Tifa countered nervously.

"Wha'? You's thinking that I's wrong?" Barret retaliated.

"No... I just... God help me... I don't know if I want to fight anymore, the stakes are so high now."

"Hmm... And what about you?" Barret asked as he looked at Cloud. To his surprise the figure had his back to them and simply walked away from the park, back into the core of Sector Six without a word. "Yo! Hey! Punk answer me!" Barret's words fell on deaf ears, "shit! What the hell is his problem?"

"Oh!" Tifa yelped suddenly, "it must be Aerith, that must be what made him walk away."

"Aerith? The girl in the pillar?"

Tifa nodded. "Yeah, Cloud was hired by her as a bodyguard from the Shrina after the reactor mission. I get the feeling he is driven to complete the job at hand."

"You mean that he's thinking of..." Barret trailed off before slamming his fists together. "Tha' punk ain't doing this shit alone!" Swiftly he stormed towards the edge of the park before he spun and faced Tifa once again. "There ain't no walkin' away now girl! The Shinra's responsible, they's gonna pay!" Without a word he made after the hired hand.

* * *

The uneven road surfaces that formed a natural battlefield of falling and rising trenches, failed to stir him in any way. His eyes were focused and intent. It made no sense to him, this should not have been his war, yet now it was. Like in the past, the Shinra had struck without care or thought for the innocents. As he stared down at his palms, Cloud initially saw a swathe of blood that dripped from his fingers, shaking his eyes he saw again it was just a reflection of the ambient light. But the accusation was enough, the only way to cleanse this was to fight back.

He thought back to the park and heard the voice of Barret once again asking him the question. What about him? Well how about him being a mercenary who struck when ordered? How about him being Avalanche's hired hand? If Barret so desperately wanted to strike at his enemies, then Cloud would do it, heavens knew that battle was his sole place in the world.

As he strode over a long pipe and onto a raised level of road, his ears picked up the sound of a clicking catch. Instantly he dived to his right, over a mound of broken rocks and rolled to his feet. Rocks were scattered and metal pipes screamed as the slugs collided with it. Calmly Cloud waited and after a few seconds a loud clicking signalled the empty clip. Darting at full speed, he vaulted over the huge remnant of a drainpipe.

The enemy was every inch the slum thief. A dark blue robe swirled around the figure from his ankles all the way to the neck, where a darker hood had been draped over his head, the mouth covered by a large neckerchief. Cloud watched the figure fumble with a catch, desperately attempting to load another clip into the rifle. With mere inches separating them, Cloud let loose with a swipe of his glaive and landed past the enemy. He did not watch the silent carcass fall to the ground.

"You killed him!" A voice suddenly yelped, Cloud turned through ninety degrees so that he faced towards the exit of the Sector, a group of fifteen men stood in his way.

"I don't arrest murderers, they are under sentence of death." Cloud retorted as he wiped blood from the blade and held it before him. "Attacking me was the worst mistake of his life, and his last."

"Big talk, all that we ever get from you scumbags in the Shinra, if you did more for the people then this sort of thing wouldn't happen." The leader retorted angrily.

"If everyone took responsibility for their lives and attempted to change them for the better, there would be no need for thief gangs." Cloud announced as he walked forwards confidently. "Now drop your weapons, no one else needs to die."

The leader laughed suddenly. "No one else will, save you, kill the son of a bitch!"

In the second between the order being given and understood, Cloud acted. He focused on energy, concentrated power flowing through his mind. He watched the startled enemies recoil as the wave of green energy flowed around him. Calmly he cupped his palms and thrust them forwards. From nowhere two shallow beams of lightning crashed from overhead.

The first bolt flashed through the coiled metal support ropes of a crane. The platform of rubble and debris it had raised above the road gave way instantly. Cloud did not watch the platform fall, as he had hoped, another of the beams had collided with the power box of a machine and as a result a power surge had flung two men off their for a distance of eight metres.

Using the confusion as a cover, Cloud darted towards the line. His mind adjusted itself and calmly allowed the inner battle rage to consume him, the mercenary shunned any form of defence. One thief lost a hand as the blade easily bypassed the tonfa it held, the edge cleaving under the man's ribs, disembowelling him.

To the right of the man, one thief spun a slingshot repeatedly around his head, before he let go of one side of the cloth, sending a large ball bearing across the air. Distracted by the battle, Cloud did not see the attack. The thief watched with a smile as the projectile flashed towards his quarry. Only for a kick to suddenly appear and deflect the projectile harmlessly into a wall. The shocked enemy watched as the startling woman landed perfectly on a girder some twelve feet from the ground.

* * *

Behind the figure, he had also watched the attack, no matter how often she did that sort of stuff, Barret still couldn't cease to be amazed. Silently he placed his left hand around the enemy's mouth. As the thief struggled, the tribal warrior slotted his gun arm underneath the groin, before hurling the enemy over his own head, through a wall into a disused container yard. The man did not make a sound.

With the element of surprise with him, Barret cocked the safety of his gun-arm and aimed at a group of three thieves that had begun to stagger back to their feet. With the distance at fifteen metres he aimed slightly to their right and held the trigger on full auto. As he slowly began to arc the weapon in a semi-circle, a crowd of the fighters began to duck and leap clear of the onslaught. The first of the enemy fell with a bullet through his throat, and his comrades instantly leapt behind cover.

Coolly Barret ceased fire and noticed that behind was the trailer that had once been on a truck. Loaded onto the back of which were thick barrels. Carefully he aimed for the rear left tyre and unleashed a salvo. The slugs perforated through the outer carcass of the rubber, and the sudden release of pressurised air forced the trailer to sink to one side. As anticipated the barrels all rolled from the trailer and down into the gap. There was no sound or movement from the thieves.

* * *

With five of the thieves dispatched, the leader had begun to dash for the exit. She had watched him slink towards the back of the fight like a coward. Angry now, Tifa leapt upwards and grabbed the hooking rope of the crane. The sudden application of weight forced the rope forwards. Calmly she swung her own body in perfect timing with the rope. Thrusting forwards and then pulling back as the arc of the swing was completed.

Her eyes remained focused on the leader who had thrust one of his own men to the ground and in his desperate attempt the flee the field. With the chaos of the fight, none of thieves saw this as a retreat. Beneath her Barret and Cloud advanced warily, the gunman using his firearm as a way of granting cover to the mercenary who sliced and diced like a butcher.

Swiftly she focused on the large iron bar of another crane and once it was in distance, she leapt forwards and grabbed tightly with her palms. Smoothly she lifted her legs upwards at a straight angle, the feet and limbs sliding through the gap in the frame of the machine. Using her feet as hooks she hung upside down, before she took a deep breath and performed a sit-up, grasping tightly at a piece of the frame with her free hands.

Secured, he clambered up and immediately ran along the crane. Her target had weaved past a swinging crane hook and jumped down to the lowest level of the road. With anger as her fuel, she pushed to her limit and saw a sloped girder that stopped at the edge of the sector. swallowing any fear she had, she jumped from the flat metal edge and assumed a posture where her left leg was straight and her right leg half-tucked, so that the flat of her foot was brushing the back of her thigh.

As she landed on the girder, her posture allowed to her perform a slide that coolly kept in check with focus on maintaining her bodyweight central. The girder slide lasted for a good four seconds before she saw the flat edge of the crane's cab at the end. Lying onto her back, she allowed the motion to carry her across the cab. Once in the air she vaulted into a backwards somersault and landed with one palm on the ground at the edge of the sector.

Ahead of her stood the thief, she watched him shake nervously and raised her fists into a stance. The thief leader yelled a sudden cry and drew a large knife from a sheath at his waist. Tifa eyed the weapon and guessed to be at least eighteen inches in length.

The thief lord rushed straight towards her and performed a clumsy lunge. Tifa silently stepped to her left and thrust her right leg out, simultaneously she placed her right hand beneath the enemy's chin and pushed him off balance. The stumbling and helpless figure meandered towards her right and callously kicked out with her foot, it connected harshly with the man's groin, sending him spiralling backwards to the floor.

Frantically that man slashed out with the knife, hoping to deter his attacker from kicking him while down. Tifa rushed towards him and suddenly jumped up and performed a perfect moonsault, which spun her through 180 degrees. The thief leapt to his feet, then tried to lunge straight up and catch her in mid-air, but Tifa's move had been too fast and the blade hit nothing but air. As she landed, Tifa kicked out her right foot into the rear of the man's knees. With a cry of pain he fell down. Taking her chance she placed her right palm underneath the man's chin and held the right side of his head with her left. Before she tugged the figure's head backwards, snapping the neck as if it were a frozen twig.

With their leader dead, many of the thieves scattered and attempted to flee. Cloud had chased three down with his blade, slicing through them as they tried to outrun him. While Barret had been no less devastating with his gatling gun. Only three of the thieves got away into the night.

"Punk, you's gonna get yo'self killed if you's jus' gonna run out like that!" Barret intoned as he locked the safety catch on again.

"Cloud! You're going after her aren't you?" Tifa asked swiftly.

Cloud nodded. "Yeah, I let her get captured, I left her alone. She didn't have a chance that way, it's my fault."

"Heh, well now tha's a surprise, didn' think that you wuz the sort who's gonna realise his calling."

"I am loyal to my clients, but it's more than that, something about her made the Shinra not kill her. She was one of us, even for a short time, everyone else is on a kill list and she's not. I want to know why."

"I think we all do, but we all want to know about Marlene."

"Aerith wouldn't put her in danger, she probably has a secret somewhere. Her mother lives in Sector Five, not only can I tell her what happened, she might be able to help, let's go."

The Fifth sector was heavily crowded with shocked people as the terrorists walked amongst them. To their surprise, there were no guards on patrol, nor were there any screens displaying their faces and names. Shrugging his shoulders at the Shinra's lack of thoroughness Cloud took point, leading the pair behind him through alleyways and around houses.

The circular nature of the sector meant that the main pathways were full to a point where all movement was impossible. Naturally the alleyways were cluttered with junk and rats, but it was more preferable to a confrontation with a distressed local. Ahead of him, Cloud saw the merchant caravan and instantly darted to the right of the building, along the roadway to the openly designed area of the sector.

Cloud chuckled at the reaction of the group when they advanced towards the house of Aerith. He had neglected to mention the garden and how out of tune with the sector the place was. After allowing a moment for the others to collect themselves, Cloud swallowed the sudden unease and knocked on the door. A second later and a voice inside beckoned them forth.

Inside the rustic feel still felt charming, but the attention of the group was arrested by the woman sitting at the table with her hands on her head, the delicate sound of sobbing excreted through the shield that her palms had formed around her face.

"It's... Cloud, right?" She asked with a stuttering voice.

Cloud nodded. "Yes... I'm sorry, but our visit is about Aerith; the Shinra have taken her."

The woman continued to weep but nodded solemnly. "I know..." She paused and dried her eyes as best she could for a moment. "They took her from here," she continued uncertainly. "I at least got to see her before they took her away."

"It's not my place to ask this..." Cloud began hesitantly. "But why would the Shinra want to capture her?"

Elmyra's head dropped. "It's not... Easy to explain," she replied, Cloud prepared to drop the entire subject and move on to what brought them all to her home in the first place. "But... I think it's right that you know, especially now that the Shinra have got her. There's no need to hide it anymore." Respectfully the group held their silence and waited for her to say what she had on her mind. "But they want her, because she's an Ancient."

The words made Cloud reel in his mind. The Ancients had been a cult legend in the Shinra, a group of humans that existed outside the main cultures and were rumoured to have enhanced mind powers. His vision rolled back to the sewer battle and how she had directed the ball of fire directly at the beast they had scared off. Now it all made sense; Aerith had probably not consciously controlled the attack as she did, it would have been a natural reaction to the power as it flowed from within the orb.

"An Ancient?" Tifa asked, audibly as shocked as he was. "But... Aren't you her mother? Surely they'd want you too, right?" Cloud's eyes widened as she made the statement, but it was too late to stop the outburst.

Elmyra's head bowed and she sighed deeply. "No... I'm not, and Aerith is not my daughter..." She began to weep again and wiped her eyes to try and clear the emotion. Unable to control it she sank back into the chair from where she had arisen. Cloud directed the others to a nearby sofa, and silently they waited for her to regain the lost composure.

After five minutes Elmyra glanced at them. "It is a painful story to tell completely. I hope you don't mind if I only give you the basics?"

Cloud shook his head. "If you wish we won't hear any of it. Whether or not you're Aerith's mother, you clearly love her greatly; I saw that last time I came through. And I am sure that Aerith loves you no less."

Elmyra smiled. "Thank you... But I need to explain at least some of it to you. You see, Aerith and I meeting was a sad chance affair. It was around fifteen years ago, at the height of the war in Wutai. My husband, Daikatin, was a soldier with the Shinra army. He'd left Midgar on a campaign about eighteen months, when I suddenly got a letter from him stating that he had been given a month's leave and would be coming home. I was delighted, and the date of the leave was only a week after I'd got the letter."

Calmly she took a sip of water from the glass on the table before continuing. "Naturally I was over the moon; I hadn't seen him for so long, and I hadn't realised how much I needed to see him. The days passed by and I went to the station that used to be here in Sector Five. I watched seven trains come and go without sign of him, by that time it must have been about nine in the evening. Half an hour later the last train for the day stopped and only three people got off, all drunkards, and none of them my husband. I pleaded with the guard if there was a late train, or even a Shinra special train for returning soldiers. But there wasn't one. I went home, thinking that something must have delayed the return." Taking a deep breath she rose from the chair and walked towards, standing almost like a lecturer before them all.

"I went back to the station every day for two weeks, thinking that the boat from the out island had been delayed, or perhaps his leave had been cancelled and he was unable to write to me. Either way, I didn't give up, I lost count of the couples I saw reunited and the guards who told me he hadn't come through. As the days went by, I began to lose more and more of my resolve, but even then I didn't give up. I resolved that I would wait for as long as I had to.

"But then, one day I went to the station as usual, but I was greeted with the strangest sight; lying on a bench at the base of the station platform was a woman, and standing beside her weeping was a young girl, no older than seven years old. The guards just ignored them, focusing on the trains and I can remember feeling indignant at their behaviour. There were stains on the woman's white dress, almost as though she had been shot. At the time, I assumed she'd been the victim of the thieves in the area. I couldn't just stand there and ignore the two of them, so I did what I could to save her. In the end, it wasn't enough; her heart gave out and her last words to me that day were to look after her daughter."

"So that's how she became yours?" Tifa concluded.

Elmyra nodded. "I had a combination of reasons for taking Aerith in. For starters, I was very lonely without my husband, who still had yet to return from the war. Then there was the fact that this little girl had just been left alone and I couldn't very well leave her to fend for herself, least of all in a place like Midgar. So I took her home with me and raised her as my own. I visited the station for a few days after that, but I finally gave up the hope that my husband was coming back. It was a bitter sweet time when that happened, but at least I had Aerith with me during that time.

"But what surprised me most of all was Aerith's reaction to the sudden change. I expected her to have locked herself away in her room, or to have at least cried for the loss of her mother, or some other sign that she was mourning the loss. But she was perfectly fine. When I asked her about it one day, she told me that she had no reason to be upset; that her mother had returned to the planet and that she wasn't lonely because of it."

Barret scratched his head perplexed. "Returned to the planet? Wha'? I dun understand tha'!"

"I never figured it out myself; as she grew up, Aerith talked a lot about the planet talking to her. I asked her if she meant some kind of star, or even a distant planet, she was adamant that it was this planet that we live on that was speaking to her. Aerith was a strange child in many ways; she was delicate and very gentle, yet at the same time she was also distant. We lived well for two years as if we had been mother and daughter forever. A hole in my life had been filled, and Aerith had been able to grow up with someone there for her. "

Elmyra sighed suddenly; throughout her explanation, her features had lit up as though she were recalling each and every happy instance both she and Aerith had shared together. But now, it was as though a dark cloud had arrived and was pummelling rain down on her sunny day. "But then, just after two years had passed Aerith came to me and told me to not cry. I was surprised by the sudden request; she had not sounded upset and hadn't been away from the home, so I didn't think there was anything that could make me sad. When I asked her what was wrong, she told me that someone close to me had just died; that he'd tried to come and see me, but the planet had taken him back.

"I didn't believe her; I couldn't believe her! My Daikatin could not have died, not after being granted leave. I clung on desperately as no news came, nothing that would confirm her words. My prayers only lasted a week, however, when I received a telegram from the Shinra confirming his death." Elmyra began to sob again.

"Listen, you don't need to say all this," Cloud cut in. "We don't want to upset you."

She shook her head. "No... It's all right; you need to know." She dried her eyes once more and fought for her composure, before beginning again. "The first months were hard, but seeing Aerith grow so confident with herself and be so bright always cheered me up. She was just around ten years old then. For the next five years all was well for us; Aerith grew more caring for those in the sector. She assisted with the local church movement to help alcoholics learn to read and write, so that they could hopefully get themselves off the streets.

"She had a big heart, and I think that is how they came to realise that she was nearby. One day we were visited by officials from the Shinra in black suits. They talked of how Aerith had a duty to the people of the world, and that the Shinra would assist her. I was furious! I told them to not start brainwashing my daughter; they snickered and told me that a carer is not a mother. Aerith told them that she didn't understand what they were talking about, that she didn't hear distant voices or have special powers."

"So the Turks were after her since she was fifteen?" Cloud interjected suddenly. "I don't understand it; up until I accidentally appeared in the church, it seems like they had been toying with coming after her. If they were after her for so long, why wouldn't they have done something more until now? And even with her being an Ancient, what did she have that they would stalk her constantly for?"

"One of them, a man called Tseng, mentioned that Aerith was destined to lead all people to happiness and the Promised Land. Aerith said up until four years ago, one of the Shinra warriors stayed close to her, and that because of him, they left her alone. Aerith always denied being an Ancient, yet how could she possibly hide it? She planted seeds in Midgar and they sprouted where everyone else had failed to grow even the smallest of crops and she always had a better understanding of materia than most army veterans.

Elmyra sighed once again as she lowered her head. "But none of this matters now; they've finally managed to get their hands on her after all. After all the times she'd eluded capture, and after all the hard work of that young man who protected her, in the end it was her choice to go with them. She gave herself up to them in exchange for the safety of a young girl named Marlene."

Barret's eyes widened in relief, before he suddenly slammed his fists together. "I fucking knew it!" He shouted as he got up from the sofa. "I'm sorry... But Marlene's my daughter. Cloud and Tifa told me Aerith got her out of Sector Seven. It's all my fault."

"You're her father!" Elmyra no longer looked saddened; at first shock had overtaken her features, only to be replaced by an anger that even had the towering Barret wincing. "How could you leave a little girl alone like that? What if my Aerith had not been there to bring her out? What would you have done then?"

Barret softly raised his left hand as Elmyra continued to scowl at him. "Please... Don't start with that; I think 'bou nothing else. I's jus' wanna be wit' my daughter; to watch her grow up and play all day... But you gotta understand, I gotta fight. The Shinra wants to take away her right to schoolin', to kill the planet for profit. But... I jus' wanna be there. Truth is... Sometimes I wish di'n't hafta fight... See? I's goin' roun' in circles now! I's wanna thank you for keeping her safe. But please..."

Elmyra nodded silently as he faltered. "I understand; I don't agree with it, but I understand. You clearly love your daughter, and in an ideal world you wouldn't need to abandon her. She's in an upstairs bedroom if you want to go and see her."

* * *

Cloud watched him leave softly and looked at Tifa. He could see that she was consumed by some inner guilt and hatred and, truth to tell, he understood it. Aerith had been rescued by him, and yes, he had led her home. But that was where his relationship to her should have ended. Aerith had offered herself to the cause, and Cloud had desperately tried to convince her of the dangers she'd face.

But, looking back on it now, he knew that he shouldn't have given her the choice. He should have just knocked her out, carried her home, and then gone after Tifa as he'd planned. He listened as Tifa and Elmyra talked to each other; the younger woman was telling the mourning mother that it was her fault that Aerith was asked to rescue Marlene. Elmyra countered that easily, explaining how stubborn Aerith was and that she would have wanted to help Marlene in any way she could have. Knowing that a child could have died in the slums would have been devastating to her.

Cloud watched as the burden of responsibility was alleviated from his friend's shoulders; he could see the relief to be free of it in her eyes. He, however, felt differently; no words expressed from anyone would make him shirk the responsibility for this. The woman had only become one of them due to his actions. Disgusted with himself, and unable to face Aerith's mother, he walked free of the room and up the stairs.

As he completed his ascension to the upper stairs of the house, Cloud felt the same sense of peace come through him. In a sense it was like he had never left, despite knowing that the circumstances of this visit were different. He still couldn't shake the responsibility from his mind; this was all dealt from his hand. He should have known better.

Not focused on where he was going. Cloud walked through the first door that he saw and found himself staring at the back of Barret, down on one knee and clutching his young daughter close. Uneasy about intruding upon the scene, Cloud made to swiftly retreat from the room and grant them some time together.

"Daddy! Cloud's here!" Marlene called suddenly. Cloud stood rooted to the spot and watched as Barret dried his eyes.

"Yo punk! You's still thinkin' of goin' after Aerith, ain't ya?" The burly warrior asked swiftly. Cloud nodded at the question but said nothing. "Then don'ts you even think abou' goin' alone! It's thanks to Aerith I hugged my daughter today! I'll be damned if you leave me behin'!"

"Hey Cloud!" Marlene shouted chirpily, beaming a smile in his direction. "Aerith was asking me lots of questions about you. Like how you were and what kinds of stuff you liked; I think she likes you!"

Cloud shrugged. "If she does I'll find out someday. right? Be a good girl for your father." He added lamely. Instantly Barret scooped Marlene into his arms and began some elegant dance with her in the room. Cloud politely left the pair alone.

The encounter with the father and daughter restored some lost faith in himself. Calmly he walked down the stairs to the lounge again. Ahead he saw Tifa look at him, her eyes focused and cheeks light with regained colour.

"You're going after her, right Cloud?" She asked suddenly, he nodded at her question. "Then I am going with you; I owe her as much as you do."

"You understand that this is not going to be like any other mission we have undertaken. Shinra have taken Aerith to their main headquarters, this will be a venture to the very heart of the organisation. Who knows if we have a chance?"

Tifa nodded while clenching her fists. "I know Cloud. This is dangerous beyond anything, but right now, I feel like I have to push myself to the very limit. Aerith surrendered to the Shinra for the sake of a child; I feel I have to do the same."

"It's what we're fighting for, right? Peace, love and the future."

Suddenly there was a sound of heavy stomping. The pair winced at the unexpected outpouring of energy, before they saw Barret storm down the stairs. Swiftly the man rounded the stairs and into the main lounge, and walked up to Elmyra, looking both embarrassed and determined. "Lis'en... I's sorry to as' this... Bu' I's gotta go wit' 'em. Please, can you look after my daughter?"

Elmyra waved her hand gently. "Yes, I don't mind. But you listen to me," she announced while staring straight into his pupils. "Don't you die on her; don't you dare leave this child alone! Go to war if you must, but if you end up like another lost dog, your young girl will never recover."

Barret shook his head furiously. "I's not gonna go tha' way! I's gonna come back for her, I can promise you that." Swiftly the three rushed out of the home and into the main sector.

Where before the sector town had possessed an air of despair and ambivalence, now there was a concentrated sense of anger and rage. For the trio, it was an unwelcome shift in the emotion and, coolly, they slipped into the shadows behind the main homes, following the circular outline with thief-like care.

At their point, Tifa marked the route, silently and swiftly vaulting over dustbins, boxes and mounds of litter all with the grace of an Olympic gymnast. Cloud and Barret, devoid of her dexterity, did their best to maintain sight with her, focusing more on remaining undiscovered.

Suddenly, she stopped. Swiftly, she leapt onto a low wall, ducking behind a thick steam release pipe that cropped up from within. Surprised by her sudden halt, Cloud followed her, slotting down behind another chimney. Beneath them, Barret crouched behind a discarded wardrobe, keeping his profile as low as possible.

"Why have we stopped?" Cloud asked quietly.

Tifa pointed around her hiding spot. "Crowd gathering; looks like the big screen has something of interest."

The screen suddenly popped into life, revealing a man in a pressed black suit, sitting behind a desk. His hand contained numerous sheets of paper and in the top right of the screen was a small screen shot of a burning mound of rubble.

"Good evening Citizens of Midgar," the man announced once the chime that introduced the broadcast had finished. "These are the headlines at 09:21. Our top story continues to be the aftermath of the assault that occurred overnight in the Seventh Sector of our city. The casualty rate from the detonation that collapsed the plate support pillar continues to be inconclusive. Soldier Commander Garuda has placed initial estimates at close to 20,000 civilians, though public pressure groups are expecting this figure to rise to a much higher level..."

As the trio watched the announcement in silence, Cloud continuing to absorb the names as best he could. He had no such memory of a Soldier operative named Garuda, let alone a Commanding officer, during his time in Soldier. That equalled at least one unknown enemy to factor in the equation. For five minutes the announcer spoke about the bare facts, talking explicitly about the speed of the descent and the forces any potential survivors would have been placed under.

For all their efforts to destroy the sector, Shinra had done their best to maintain the front as best they could. The news broadcast had plenty of footage that contained rescue crews desperately clawing at the burning mounds of rubble, hoping to unearth any survivors that could be taken for emergency medical attention.

"The President of Midgar made the following speech surrounding the incident at 7:45 this evening."

Instantly the footage changed, revealing the large bellied President sat in a high-backed leather charm, his arms planted on the rests he was clutching at the power he held. The figure's aged face contained numerous craters and lines as the pressure of the situation forced itself against him. Cloud was impressed; the President had really gotten himself into character as an upset and caring ruler of the people.

"Citizens, I thank you for the attention you give this speech. Last night Midgar suffered its most brutal and callous assault against it. The terrorists, known simply as Avalanche, in their quest to disrupt the flow of Mako power, have opted, ultimately, to forfeit their own lives, in order to prove to the Shinra that the Planet needs protecting... Is this the action of protectors? To wipe out thousands of people, cause raging fires and unimaginable suffering? Is this the actions of a group who value the life of the world?

"Let me say that the answer to those questions is no! The Shinra have long believed in the benefits of a city that gives back what it takes; our drainage and filtration systems are powered by solar panels based on a peninsula north of Midgar. The time is too early for all power systems to just be switched off. However, we aim to synthesise and then move forward to a renewable future. This attack will not stop that aim! We will continue to move forward, we will continue to evolve and we will continue to support the people of the city. The terrorists are dead, but in order to safeguard all citizens, martial law shall remain in place until the threat is confirmed to be over."

As the news feed returned to the facts once again, the trio calmly vaulted onto a nearby roof and then onto the main scrap pile of the sector. Invisible to the crowd of people that populated the centre, they advanced back towards the main pathways.

At the heart of the scrap pile, Barret suddenly stopped, picked up a large shard of metal and flung it angrily into the distance. None of them heard it land or collide with anything.

"God, I can' fu'ing take it!" He seethed suddenly. "Ju's puttin' i' all on us! Like we's the ones tha' pull' the fu'ing trigger!"

Cloud shrugged. "Don't tell me you're surprised? Scapegoating for these sort of incidences is what every authority would do. I'm disturbed by the figures they quoted though; if only 20,000 died in that impact, it would have taken divine intervention."

"Yeah, they'd jus' puttin' this shi' ou' for all the idiots to swallow! People need to wake the fu' up!"

"That's not our worry now," Tifa cut in suddenly. "What I want to do now is help Aerith."

"Bu' how's we gonna do tha'? No trains run up to the Shinra tower," Barret remarked bitterly.

"More importantly, the Shinra have locked Midgar down. We need to tread carefully and quietly, somehow slipping underneath them," Cloud added.

"Wha' abou' the train tunnels again? Tha' go' us into the fifth reactor without anyone knowing!"

"That's not exactly accurate, Barret," Tifa rebutted swiftly. "Remember, the Shinra let us get to the reactor; if anything they're probably hoping that we try the tactic again. It'll be an easy capture for them."

Cloud shook his head. "Not necessarily. Tseng was the last person to see us alive and that was… What? Ninety seconds before the impact? They won't expect for us to have survived the explosion. Make no mistake, those rescue teams aren't hunting survivors they can help, they're hunting survivors that need to be taken out."

"So wha' in fu's name we's gonna do?" Barret raged.

"Let's try the Wall Market," Tifa interjected. "The place is a black market front for the Shinra, though the traders aren't in their pay. If any place will have a back door route to the Shinra tower, it'll be there." Unified by the sense of purpose, the trio set off for the black market once again.

* * *

She sat alone, her legs crossed with the soles of her feet resting on top of either knee. Her eyes were locked closed and her back was straight against the cold steel wall of the room that surrounded her. The girl saw with her inner eye, letting the sensation of consciousness cognition flow away from her. She instead felt clam radiate through her mind, as the sensation of walking through the snow came back to her.

"You're stubborn, my daughter," the voice cooed calmly.

Aerith smiled, though her body gave no movement. "Mother, I have sought you again, disturbing the peace you have earned."

"You are my daughter, Aerith; there will never be a time when I ever abandon you should you need my guidance. You have a strong heart, the girl is worthy of the cost of giving up."

"What does the scientist want with me, Mother? I don't know anything about the Promised Land."

"They seek to unlock the talents of the Cetra; even one born of Human blood has great power. Ultimately, they want to obtain our secrets, to rape them and mutilate them, all for their own sins and greed."

"I won't allow that, Mother, they will not break me!"

"My daughter, you will not break. They can never break your will, so they instead will try to recreate it. The scientists have created their own magic to create horrors beyond understanding. But stay strong and have faith in your friends, they will come for you."

As the words came, Aerith felt the connection fail. She opened her eyes, drinking in the lifeless walls of the room she found herself within. The Shinra might have her body, but they did not have her soul; she wouldn't let them have it. Clasping her hands tightly together, she began to speak a prayer for the planet.

* * *

With the Shinra checkpoints announced on the large screens, Avalanche had done their best to ensure they stayed below the radar. Thus, through Sector Six, they had treaded very carefully, always crawling along the unbalanced roadway with thief-like care. A journey that would usually take fifteen minutes, took Avalanche close to two hours.

Twice they had been forced into combat. The first time Tifa had leapt up onto a crane, dashed along it, and then jumped over and behind the manned. Silently and gracefully the fighter had landed behind the two guards and swift blows to the chorotid arteries had knocked them out cold.

The second had seen Cloud swiftly cut one guard down as Barret had picked his comrade up and thrown him against a protruding drill from a machine; neither man had made a sound as their lives were snuffed out like a candle in a hurricane.

Despite the conflicts, the group made it to the end of the sector and advanced upon the shady trading world once again. The market had changed drastically since they had last passed through it; the very bottom of the market was lined with tents and sleeping bags, all stuffed with people huddling for warmth and sheltering nervously in the slums. Cloud understood their fears; all of these people had survived a catastrophic incident. What was to stop it happening again?

Oddly, however, there was no sign of Shinra; not even a member of the Security Division was present to patrol of the area. At the gate to Sector Seven, no guards could be seen excavating, and no one was there to try and arrest them. It unnerved him; Cloud was used to being in a war, constantly playing a game of chess in his mind with the enemy. They did not strike and then stand still; the enemy either marched in to enslave the survivors, or came through with torches lit to raise everything from existence.

Yet here, the Shinra was guilty of the grandest mistake of them all; arrogance. It was always the wisest course of action to ensure that the job was done, and properly at that. Presuming that the strike had ended all threat of retaliation was what often gave a resistance some fire to carry on. Cloud could see the flame of this resistance rising in Barret everywhere the man moved. He was silent, somewhat unusually, but his eyes had this fierce glow that gave a resonance of a deep felt fury. Like a primal instinct that had made his focus narrowly solely onto its prey, rather than drinking in the entropy of the world they found themselves a part of.

The distraction of Barret's eyes meant that the group stumbled upon the building without realising it. Instantly Cloud signalled for them to duck behind the numerous discarded boxes and garbage cans, anything that provided temporary cover.

For a long minute they remained out of sight and invisible, watching the world with a controlled anxiety. As the silence remained uninterrupted, the group concluded that the mansion of Don Corneo was lot loaded with Shinra guards. Remembering the gun-toting bodyguards that prowled the area last time, Cloud urged them to remain cautious.

Fortunately, the Don's own exaggerated lifestyle assisted them with this. The colossal gongs were big enough to conceal even Barret's gigantic frame, while the numerous pillars and velvet curtains gave them intermittent cover between the open spaces.

While the group did not see anyone patrolling the courtyard, they took no chances just in case a sniper was hiding better than they were. So for three minutes they covered the distance until they reached the large golden doors. Still there had been no advance or attack amongst them. More wary than before, Tifa and Cloud took opposite sides of the doors. They each counted to three before launching harsh heel kicks at the objects barring their path.

As the metallic ring sounded out, and the doors began to slide open, they swiftly ducked back to the sides, protected by the bulky gilded frames. They coolly played the waiting game, listening for the rampant echo of marching guards, the dancing silhouettes of an advance assault, the golden twinge of slugs being rifled towards them...

The silence remained; there was no movement and no attack. The trio came together and stood at the doors, almost toying for the guards to do something, demanding that they be assaulted. Yet the interior remained motionless; the papers still scattered on the floor, the passionately crafted wooden furniture smashed into pieces.

"Someone got here first," Cloud intoned suddenly. "Tread carefully; it looks like they searched hard. Chances are that they might have left something altogether less pleasant in their wake. Come."

Carefully they strode in through the double doors, Cloud at point as they made their way through what had once been an elegantly decorated front lobby. Desperate to collar the one man who might lead them to the top, the group first advanced upon the main chambers where Aerith had been taken. The property had been torn asunder quite heavily; whoever had crashed the party before them had clearly not been interested in robbery; this thought was verified by the number of priceless artefacts Cloud witnessed in pieces on the floor.

Had the home belonged to a more honourable man, he may have felt some pity, but as it was the house of Don Corneo, he had none. Indeed, for a split second, Cloud found himself wishing that he had been the one holding the baseball bat to Corneo's glass house, and he didn't discourage the thoughts as the group continued to sift through the wreckage, searching for any sign of a concealed exit or any hidden notes on Corneo's business with the corporation. But they found nothing of worth and after twenty minutes of fruitless searching, they resigned themselves to defeat.

As they came from the master room, a distant scream sounded out. At first the trio were confused, before they realised it was coming from below them. On a whim, Cloud led the group along the main balcony and down the stone stairwell to the basement torture room. Halfway through the descent the screams grew louder and it became clear the victim was at the bottom.

Barret suddenly brushed Cloud aside and raised his gun-arm, sliding off the safety catch and placing his fingers carefully over the studs that served as the triggers. As the open archway to the room became close, the tribal warrior darted ahead and let free a burst of rounds. With the distraction fire launched, the figure filled the frame of the arch and swiftly trained his gun around the room. As no response came from within, aside from the screaming they had already borne witness to, Barret relaxed and Cloud walked through first.

He was greeted by the sight of a Corneo underling struggling desperately. He had been chained to the torture rack that Tifa had pretended to adore during her charade. His wrists and ankles were securely clamped by heavily rusted chains. At the sight of the group the man raised his head and screamed for help.

"Well... I suppose this is what they mean when they say the words poetic justice, right friend?" Cloud watched the man's eyes widen in fear. "You're all alone here; all those friends of yours took off into the night. Where's Corneo?"

The man's face drain of blood. "Oh god! No! Please!"

Cloud walked to the table and traced his finger along a knife wound. "Someone dragged a tanto blade across your stomach," he announced very casually, following the line of the curve in towards the centre of the chest. "Lucky. Very lucky," the words he spoke came in a neutral and reserved tone. "A few inches deeper on either side and it might have got your heart or your lungs. Still, it gives us a guideline."

"Oh please! For the love of fuck! I've suffered enough!" The man squealed as Cloud suddenly swung his sword, halting the blade an inch above the man's waist.

"One word, or one move, without me telling you to give it... And I finish my swing. A heavy blade versus a part of the body with little muscle or tendons... You want to gamble on who wins?" The man shook his head furiously. "Good. Then tell me, where's Corneo?"

"He's gone!" The man yelped. "I'm telling the truth! We busted him out of his chains and then he locks his room. Next thing we know, the doors are smashed open... Shinra guards stormed the place. They killed three of my crew, arrested the others, and dragged my ass down here... Oh god! Please! Let me go!"

"Where's Corneo?" Cloud shouted as he raised the glaive above his head, readying it for another swipe.

"I don't know! The guards swooped the whole place; he'd gone, vanished out the back somehow!"

"Corneo was pally with the Shinra," Tifa cut in suddenly as she walked behind the man's head, leaning over so that he looked directly into her eyes upside down. "So he must have visited them, right?"

The lackey nodded furiously. "Yeah! Oh yeah! He had a special elevator with retinal security... The Shinra always wanted him alone to see them. It goes to the top, but no one knows how to override it."

"Tell us how to reach the headquarters," Cloud snarled. "Or you're dead!"

"You want to attack the Shinra!" The man burst into uncontrolled laughter. "Oh this'll be something to see! There's no way up there; fly, that might work!" The figure continued to laugh, refusing the questions. Angered, Cloud signalled at Tifa and she slammed her fist against the man's temple, forcing him into unconscious silence.

"We's no' gonna find shi' here! We's best off lookin' ou'sid'!" Barret cut in, Cloud nodded at the suggestion and the group left the tortured man behind, chains still in place.

At first the group felt disappointment at not discovering anything of worth in the mansion. Angrily they had stormed back to the market, when ahead at the very entrance, they saw an advancing group of Shinra guards.

Thinking fast, Cloud had ushered the group into an alleyway. Instantly the plan backfired, taking them to a dead end. With a curse Barret raised his gun and got ready. Cloud drew his glaive and joined the man, knowing that he would take at least seven men with him before he was either arrested or killed.

A sudden sound of feet scrabbling disturbed their blood-thirst and the pair turned to gaze at the huge wall of the alleyway. It was a solid concrete structure that was totally sheer. This had not stopped vandals from spraying with numerous logos, varying from the words 'no mercy' to a symbol of the secular order of Midgar in flames.

At the heart of the wall was a thick wire that had been clamped in place, at the base this fed into the power grid. All along the wall Cloud witnessed at least nine more wires. Craning his neck slightly, he witnessed Tifa climbing up the wall, using the wire like a rope. He smiled and followed in her wake leaving Barret, shocked by the action of the pair, behind. The leader of Avalanche did his best to echo their move; with only one good arm, getting a good climb was much tougher for him. But two minutes later he had climbed the twelve metres to the top of the wall.

Coolly the group lay flat on their stomachs, the two metre wide wall giving them ample room for safety. Beneath them the guards advanced upon the mansion, huge barricades were erected swiftly and these were sealed off with special police tape. The trio watched as the guards continued to build the barricade, not once glancing at the alleyway they had exploited. For five minutes they watched silently as the guards hammered the temporary wall down, before the guards themselves marched through the last gap and into the mansion grounds.

"Look's like they's no' finished with tha' place," Barret whispered.

"Yeah, still that's not our problem; let them burn it down," Tifa added furiously, before she turned away. Instantly she wished she hadn't. "Oh my god!" She shouted suddenly.

Cloud spun in the same direction to find himself staring straight at a physical depiction of chaos. The mound of rubble stretched higher than the wall, at least as high as fifty metres. Huge walls of flame arose at random from with the concrete mountains that had been formed in the aftermath of the fall.

Cables and sparks flew through the air sporadically; all of this imagery of carnage was offset against a sound-track of stone dead silence. Not even a wind cut through the rocks. In essence it was like staring at some angry painting, only that the drawings of smashed homes and decimated people was all too real.

"You fuckers!" Barret roared angrily. "This's what you's lot do to gets at us lot? You's all gonna fuckin' die!" He shouted reaching for his gun arm.

"Don't fire it!" Cloud ordered suddenly. "We have a chance to get to the plate, let's not waste it by having them shoot us out of the sky."

"Cloud's right," Tifa cut in. "I looked up and the wire goes all the way to the plate. It's a long climb, but the debris created platforms so we can rest on the way. It's our best chance."

Barret smiled suddenly. "A golden shiny wire of hope, all the way to the plate! We's gotta do this!" Swiftly the group began the one hundred metre climb.

* * *

The three hours that had passed for the group had been a toil beyond any other. Cloud could feel his shoulders burning from the effort, while his arms wanted to pop free of the sockets that held them in place. Despite the many rests on broken parts or scaffolding, or other wires that crossed over the one they used, the sheer effort had been akin to mining through diamond.

At first the wire appeared to go into the underbelly of the upper plate reactors, but as they neared the plate, the wire had veered to the right into another network of tunnels. Once here Avalanche had rested for twenty minutes, drawing on all the strength they could find to complete the journey.

Now they had made it. Cloud looked to the skyline and saw the Shinra tower, a rectangular building that brushed the sky. Way above ground level already; he had no idea high the structured went. Though it looked at least as far as the distance between the slums and the upper plate.

The sun burned at first and the group retreated swiftly into a shaded alleyway, opting to hide in a car garage that stood empty aside from a dozen automobiles, the rust on the door hinges suggested it had been years since the area had been manned in any way, or the vehicles put on sale.

"Now wha' do we do?" Barret asked swiftly.

"Midgar is under martial law; it'd be suicide to go out now," Cloud intoned.

"I agree," Tifa interjected. "As a runner I saw this city from all over; night would be our best chance to make our move."

"How do you mean as a runner?" Cloud asked swiftly.

Barret laughed. "Yo punk! You's tellin' me that you's not heard o' the runners? Shi' man! Wha' rock you's livin' under?" Cloud scowled at the question.

"You wouldn't know Cloud; after all, it's been a long time since you were around right?" He nodded at her question. "Runners are people who deliver messages and packages across the city. We used to leap across buildings, slide down elevator shafts; everything possible to get across the city on foot without the law catching us."

She sighed suddenly. "The runners started to die out once Midgar officially ended the war; it became increasingly more difficult to get across the rooftops without snipers picking you off. At least eight of my comrades have been buried thanks to the Shinra. That's why I retired Cloud. I joined Avalanche because they were against the Shinra; I owed it to my friends to fight them."

Barret nodded. "They wuz always sayin' tha' the runners are people you'd never suspect. I know you's can fight with yo' fists girl, but I's woulda never thought you's wuz a runner."

"Life's full of surprises Barret. We all have our talents." As the conversation died, the group wearily fell into sporadic sleep, waiting for the night to fall, and their assault to begin.


	8. First Strike

Chapter 8: - First strike

Throughout the afternoon, the trio had slept in shifts, constantly watching for the sun to go down. It felt disorientating to Cloud, having spent weeks in the slums, where night and day didn't truly exist, to have the effect of sunlight felt alien, but at the same time glorious.

As he had expected, security around the tower was tighter than anything they had faced before. The main tower was at the very core of a large square, the doors of which were on ground level. Bisecting this was a wide road, each side possessing two lanes. Swarms of guards manned each side of the highway, spot checking cars, while any pedestrians, even the most high-level Shinra staff, found themselves cavity searched openly.

"Ain't no way tha' we's gonna jus' be able to walk up to the tower right?" Barret asked suddenly.

Cloud nodded. "Security will spot us easily, even if we bowl that lot over, who knows what they can summon from inside. I think someone attacked them in the past and that's why the place is locked down so tightly."

"You's been here before right?" Barret pressed suddenly.

"I have been a few times, but I was always in a moving core unit, so I never really explored the place. It is best we don't rush in as the tide will swamp us."

"I have an idea what to do." Tifa suddenly interjected, "remember, I was a runner, we always had to supply info under the radar. The Shinra tower was a legend, seventy floors in total."

"Shi'! We's gonna has to go through all tha' to find Aerith?" Barret raged angrily.

Tifa shook her head. "No, one of our runners got busted and held here, woman named Kate. We all heard later on that the place has general access for those who work here, but after floor Fifty-nine, the entire building is locked down with special access codes. Aerith would have been brought here, and she'll be right up top."

"We're not going to make that many floors undetected, the building is too big, and the Shinra will have the place filled with cameras and lasers. No matter how good a thief or runner you are, inside you'll be clocked, it's that simple." Cloud intoned swiftly.

"You's not walkin' away from this punk!" Barret screamed, "ain't no gettin' offa this train we's on! Until the end of the line!"

Cloud rolled his eyes. "I never said anything about aborting, what I said is that we won't slip through undetected. So as such, we have to find a way of limiting the damage."

"What have you got in mind?" Tifa cut in. "I'd say we have to find a way in first."

"I agree, the front entrance is out of the question, what we need to do is somehow get inside. Let's split up and meet back here in thirty minutes, then we'll figure something out." Swiftly the group dispersed beneath the evening sky, using what little darkness they had to mask their movements.

The hunt for a way through had been frustrating for the group. Evidently the Shinra had been keeping their eyes on the game. The streets immediately before the tower were watched by platoons of guards, while a helicopter constantly swooped overhead. Cloud had seen this coming, but had hoped they would have been able to exploit it.

But not even Tifa's experience as a runner could give them any in-roads. Cloud had listened as she'd explained how she could get past the guards and maybe breach the lower levels of the tower. However, to get higher would require a substantial distraction, something she could not create alone, and even then, she would be on her own, and the thought of her long term survival at that point was rather slim.

The constant collision with a dead end had weakened Barret's control on his temper; twice he'd had to be silenced by the pair so he didn't give them away. It had been during such a silencing that Cloud realised what they needed. The Shinra tower had a rectangular shaped outcrop far to the left which stretched down from very high up the building.

It had occurred to Cloud that these were the bomb-proof stairwells for evacuation in the event of a terrorist threat. Avalanche might be dead to the eyes of the corporation, but he did not expect them to be foolish enough to not evacuate if a bomb did detonate.

So calmly they had wandered back to the entry point they had utilised to escape the slums and found a garage. Inside of it were numerous trucks, saloons and motorcycles stood erect and empty, desperately enticing a buyer. With night having fallen, there were no salesmen relentlessly harassing the group as they stood before the hanger, nor was there anyone around to stop them from slipping the numerous explosive packages they had in their possession to the exterior of the vehicle fuel tanks.

Cloud had been the one to wire the charges; his previous experiences from the reactor and the military meant that he was best suited for the task of a sequential blast. Once the detonators were set to the same frequency, the group slunk back into a dark alleyway, watching the road ahead.

"One last time; this is the plan," Cloud announced in a whisper, so as not to be overheard. The last thing they needed was to get caught because they assumed they were out of hearing distance of a infantryman. "Remember, this is not designed to stop them discovering us but a means for us to get inside. The charges will go off all at once, levelling the garage and quite probably three or four more buildings in the surrounding area. The Shinra will be forced to investigate, but at the same time, they'll also defend their building."

"So we'll still have a crowd on the road?" Tifa asked tentatively.

Cloud nodded. "Unfortunately, there's no way that we can expect everyone forming the road platoon to disappear, but many of them will be required to help control the evacuation on the stairwells. Others will be sent out to investigate the source of the explosion. We'll wait for them to make their moves before we start the assault."

"Yeah! Them suckers' is goin' ta see wha' Avalanche has in store for 'em!" Barret cheered enthusiastically.

"It sounds to me like the explosion will only give us a two minute window; barely even that," Tifa said, voicing her reservations on the plan. "Why don't we just take the stairs? It'll get us really close to where we want to go, we'll be very difficult to detect and we won't have to deal with the fuss of causing a diversion."

Cloud shook his head. "The stairs are an evacuation point; they'll be heavily monitored and controlled. With them being external to the building the materials will be different. That might not mean much, but it suggests they can seal the shaft so nothing inside breaches into the main halls. If they seal it off from the rest of the compound, they can pump the area full of nerve gas and capture us that way. Our operation ends before it even begins. As hair-brained as it may seem, our best bet is to go in at full breach. Once we're inside, we can jump into one of the elevators and ride it as far as we can before discovery. From there, we do whatever it takes."

The trio slammed their fists together, before Cloud reached for the detonator on his belt.

* * *

He waved the car through the checkpoint, watching the ageing sedan pull off the road at the next junction, into the underground car-park beneath the tower. Once it was gone, the dull silence ruled again. Private Fullan had been delighted when he had completed the courses in riot control, advanced area car driving and martial arts. He was finally within touching distance of his dream, on the day of the graduation he had received a distinction grade, one of only four in his year.

The dream did not match up to the reality; graduating into the Shinra Security Forces meant a life of dull monotony on the streets. At first he had been patrolling Sector Eight, the only excitement being the attack on the reactor, a night where he was forced to stand guard outside the post train yard. While his comrades came back shouting and hollering about getting into gun fights with Barret Wallace and company, he had been there watching workers pile bags of mail into freight trains.

Once the furore had died down, his chance to go off against Avalanche had been thwarted once again, the night of the Sector Five attack had seen him patrolling the structurally unsafe area around the number one reactor. A night where, besides arresting two drunkards for trespass, the square-root of zero occurred.

Now, the city was choking on a sense of fear. The terrorists, in a last act of murderous horror, had taken out the support pillar in Sector Seven, Private Fullan didn't even want to think about the amount of people that had been killed. Since then, the checkpoints and the inspections had begun. President Shinra was taking no chances, and Private Fullan admired him for this, it reassured the public, as well granting them a chance to smoke out any further sympathisers that were lay dormant in the metropolis.

But tonight they had not hit pay-dirt, three times angered public sector workers had been muttering about the needless delays to their paperwork. Fullan had chuckled though when his captain had calmly told them if they wanted to see paperwork, he'd be happy to take them for processing and a strip search on floor forty-nine, instantly compliance had been assured.

"Not much action tonight is there? Sir." Fullan asked to his senior officer.

The man winked back at him. "Shows how good a job we in the security forces are doing! I remember when some punk from Soldier was telling me how the Shinra needed both of us to keep the place in check." He hawked and spat suddenly. "A load of shit if you ask me! Look at us, one hundred men, all heavily armed and manning the gates of the tower, what else do you need?"

Fullan drank in the image of the man, unlike himself, who was garbed in the standard blue uniform with tri-goggled visor, his senior sported a green outfit. It looked more an outfit designed to melt into the surroundings of a jungle terrain, rather than for patrolling the city streets. The three medals on the chest did make Fullan beam with delight though, this was a man who had seen activity to the highest level, and crucially he had survived, it felt an honour to stand beside him.

He was about to ask for more advice from the commander when the silence was rocked by a deafening sound. Instantly the guards brought their firearms to bear, scanning the environment, as their feet struggled to stay locked in place on the floor. The sound ripped through the air as if a concorde jet had suddenly flown over their heads. On the narrow horizon, a huge fire had erupted on the skyline, and a set of rubber tyres suddenly flew through the air like missiles. Desperate men scattered to avoid the debris.

"Private 1274 Tango Charlie Hotel Foxtrot, reporting!" Fullan shouted swiftly into the radio piece he had fitted to his uniform.

"Go ahead Private Fullan."

"We have just been witness to an explosion, sector Golf Alpha 43, looks like some form of vehicle yard has been attacked, advise instructions." Fullan shouted back to the handler.

"Pass me your superior officer!"

"Understood!" Fullan tapped his senior on the shoulder, who snarled and turned to face him. "Sir..." Fullan hesitated, "I have reported to H.Q, they want to speak with you."

The Senior ripped the device from his hand. "Sergeant 8465 Charlie Oscar Romeo Echo reporting!"

"How many staff do you have on the ground?" The voice on the line answered swiftly.

"You don't know up there? Well anyway, I have one hundred men."

"Order fifty to investigate the bomb site, twenty-five to begin a controlled evac to the bomb proof stairwell and the rest to hold the main entrance."

"You want me to guard here with a quarter of my men, who the fuck ordered this?"

"This is an order from Heidegger, any grievances should be raised with him."

"Received and understood, out! Men, together!" The Sergeant shouted. "Corporals Dowling and Wainwright, choose twenty-four men a piece and begin a detailed investigation of the bomb site. Corporal Jones, select twenty-four men of your choice and proceed to lead an evacuation of each floor to the bomb proof stairs. All other privates and corporals are to remain with me as entrance guard, move out!"

Fullan watched the controlled entropy as the corporals marched amongst them. In his mind he was wishing, hoping beyond hope that they'd pick him, to see the explosion and fight those responsible would be the greatest action there is. To his dismay, once again he was left behind. Amongst those serving directly under the Sergeant.

"Overlooked again, I always seem to miss out." Fullan said, thinking he'd kept it low enough to not be overheard.

"You're missing out on nothing Private!" He was wrong, as the Sergeant suddenly replied loudly. "Stand firm, we are the last line of the tower until the reinforcements from the top levels can make it down to us."

Nervously he took his place in line, at this side the other men brought their rifles to bear. Ahead and to either side of them was an oppressively silence, Fullan began to sweat, but he resisted the urge to take a hand off his weapon and wipe his brow. This was a time for discipline.

"See, this is why the Security Forces are so important! Look at you all, none of you know what awaits you, yet you stand firm and stand well. Let those bastards in Soldier look down on you lads, there's no one else I'd rather have by my side!"

Marshalled by the words of their Sergeant, the guards obeyed the order and held. Suddenly Fullan saw a blur across the road directly ahead. He blinked, remembering the rule of shooting, one could not fire without their mirror engaging first. But this was no defence line outpost, this was an urban barricade, there were no mirrors to engage directly.

The blur occurred again, acting instinctively he fired three rounds, each colliding with stone walls of the road that bisected the main four lane strip.

"Why are you firing Private? Hold your nerve!" The Sergeant roared.

Shamed, Fullan levelled the rifle again, cooling staring down the barrel, watching for the right moment to shoot. Ignoring the blurring motion that constantly weaved in and out of his peripheral vision, he focused on the task at hand.

From nowhere three grenades sailed towards the line, without thinking twice, Fullan opened fire on full auto, three lucky shots hitting the projectiles. The metal casings sparked before erupting into a small localised explosion. The wave of energy throwing up a thick wave of dust from the scattered pollution on the ground.

Numerous choking guards lowered their weapons, desperate to clear their lungs. Fullan did not, he ignored the horrible sensation that was swamping him and maintained his fire. Ahead he could see two figures walking casually towards them. One was constantly pulling the pins from the projectiles and launching them; while the other was always shooting at the line, his weapon some form of machine gun.

Fullan continued his shooting and as one of the men flew backwards, he thought he'd scored a hit, only for the man to perform a back-flip and land perfectly on his feet. Despairing at the move Fullan ceased fire for a microsecond, in that instant he felt a sharp twinge of pain flare through his left shoulder and he flew backwards from the line, as he cannoned his head against a lamppost, he fell into darkness, ruing his wish for front-line battle...

* * *

The entropy of the situation below filled her vision, but she ignored it, instead calmly focusing at the task at hand. Tifa felt her mind drift, the raging waters of battle fury receding to the still waters of tranquillity. Satisfied that she had obeyed the code, she crouched on the edge of the rooftop she had scaled. The plan had worked thus far, but it was dependant on her fulfilling the task at hand.

Coolly she got up from her crouch and turned ninety degrees to her left. Focused, she ran as fast she could, the wind and air resistance attempted to slow her movements. Swiftly she ducked her head down slightly to channel the air over her body more quickly. Five paces ahead she could see the lip of the roof.

Where a normal person would have been devoured by fear, Tifa instead relished the adrenaline and as her right foot kissed the crenulated edge, she pressed the full power of her thigh muscles into the stone and felt herself be catapulted from the stable ground into the air.

Below her, the city streets must have been at least fifty feet in arrears. Forcing the number from her mind, Tifa angled her jump, counting each of the four metres as she began to descend. Her eyes were arrowed in on the surface of the lower roof and, as it came closer, she calmly rolled her body, using the motion to release kinetic energy harmlessly rather than allowing gravity to draw her into the ground.

In the blink of an eye she was on her feet and, without stopping, she turned forty degrees to the right and looked sharply at the ladder that was anchored to the edge of the roof. The curved nature making it clear the ladder stretched down the exterior. Three paces from the ladder she performed the same controlled baseball slide she'd used in the sewers, and let the motion carry her off the roof to the right of the frame.

Once in free air, her palms gripped loosely to the poles and in the same instant she kicked her legs out straight, letting them find the rails of the ladder. As soon as she felt contact Tifa slackened the grip of her palms and immediately she began to slip down the ladder, almost as if she were abseiling.

With her eyes watching the vista below, she saw the ladder come to an abrupt halt way off the ground. As a runner, she was more than aware that the emergency ladders only extended further in the event of building fire, but she also knew they could be accessed from the main hall of the building they served.

So with the grace of a dancer, she kicked outwards with both feet once they fell free of the ladder. Forcefully the feet shattered the window and with total control she hooked her ankles to the underside of the window sill on the other side. At first she locked her calf muscles, to ensure that she was not going to fall to the street, then she threw her weight forward and as her head entered through the shattered glass, she landed on her feet and began to run again.

Directly ahead was an elevator, but she ignored the opportunity and instead harshly threw the back of her fist at the stairwell door, opening it swiftly. Once through, she leapt down the first flight and landed with a controlled roll before she turned through one hundred and eighty degrees to then repeat the same move on another flight of stairs.

Three more times she did this before she found herself only one floor above the city streets, as she had anticipated, she was in the residential building adjacent to the Shinra tower. Directly below her was another side to the line of enemies that the others had attacked. As planned, they were totally and utterly distracted by the assault that had been launched against them.

Throwing caution to the wind, Tifa ran as fast she could towards the five metre high floor to ceiling window of the building. Five paces out, she thrust her right arm forward and three ball bearings crashed heavily with the window, causing a spider-web of cracks to form from the centre and outwards.

She took a deep breath and continued her run before she jumped from the ground. She twisted her body so that her left arm was at a ninety-degree angle, her palm protecting her face, and the ball of the elbow pointed towards the ground.

Instantly flesh and glass collided, some shards tore at the epidermis, but Tifa ignored any compulsion of pain. Adrenaline was feeding her now; she felt no pain, and carried no fear. The fast rushing air made her feel alive, made her feel free. She could see the ground getting closer, but this was not her target.

Instead her eyes drank in the figure that was nervously crouched down, staring intently through the rifle at the enemy who had advanced further upon the tower. Tifa kept watching him; as she had hoped, none of the Shinra had expected an assault from behind.

With less than a metre between them, Tifa clamped her feet together and landed heavily on the back of the Guard's head. The velocity of the descent, coupled with the pull of gravity, had an instant effect. The sentry was pressed towards the ground, his face smashed heavily against the asphalt. Blood spraying from his nose like a fountain, while on the back of the figure's head, both of Tifa's sneakers left an indentation.

None of his comrades had heard the man fall and Tifa smiled. Less than two paces ahead was another warrior. Savagely, she gripped the man's head and jerked it simultaneously backwards and to the left, causing an alarmingly snapping sound to follow. Before the other members of the Shinra guard could react, she kicked out with her right foot, the sole connecting with the knee cap of one guard, collapsing him to the floor.

Instantly Tifa followed up with a sharply aimed blow to the temple, the force of which caused the left eyeball to burst free of its socket. One guard coolly reversed the grip on his rifle and attempted to use it as a club, his arms swinging in a wide arc as if about to throw a discus. Tifa surprised the man by stepping inside the attack, but she used her left arm against the inner elbow joint, slowing the assault.

Distracted by the contact, the Guard offered no resistance as her right palm gripped at his temple. Tifa instantly pressed the man towards floor. As the defenceless sentry hit the curb, she kicked out with her right foot, ceasing all movement from the enemy. She then counted the remaining warriors ahead; fifteen men waited for Barret and Cloud to get closer. Fifteen on three were good odds in her book and with that thought in mind, Tifa rushed further along the street towards the rear of the enemy line.

* * *

He lay dormant atop a pile of rubbish, his body was placid and weak, his voice dreary and lifeless. The man was all but dead, a forgotten carcass thrown into the gutter, discarded amidst the filth and scum of a society that had no time nor care to cleanse it. The figure was barely thirty years old, though his sagging skin and rotten teeth belied that to make him appear far more in advance of his years.

The place he occupied was an effrontery to the concept of a home; the actual structure of the house was a broken and shattered storm pipe that had once been in service. There was no door, no washing facilities and no kitchen. Were it not for the droning television and dimly lit lights, one would feel that the fellow had simply settled down in the sewers to rot away from a life that he cared nothing for. It was an emotion that practically every resident of the city mirrored in their regard for him.

The man had no name, no friends and no future. The fact he lived at all was a miracle; he had long stopped feeling the cold or noticing pieces of his limbs disintegrating. He had laid in the same position for eight days, with no food or drink, and yet, his body would not give up on life. The man wanted to die and willed his existence to come to an end.

At the moment he felt a sharp pain blast from his chest. His incoherent voice formed a sharp shriek that lasted but a heartbeat, and then he fell silent and still. He blinked his eyes twice before the blurring subsided, and for the first time in four years he could make out images, not just ethereal shapes that he couldn't decode.

The figure lifted his arm; it felt stronger than it had a moment ago. He flexed the joints and muscle began to sew itself back to bone. Lifting a finger to his mouth he pressed hard on the molars and incisors; they didn't rock or bleed, they stood firm and strong. On his back, the figure felt a tickling sensation, as if someone or something were stroking him.

Placing one arm behind his back, the figure gasped as thick and long hair met his touch; he had not felt a hair on his head for as long as he could remember. Tingling, he rose to his feet, feeling strong, wonderful; almost as if he had been reborn. A man begging to die had been granted life, but rather than be upset or angry, the man felt wonderful.

Suddenly electricity flashed along his arms; he yelped in shock, thinking it a mere happenstance, but then the same electricity invaded his temples. He pressed his fingers to the side of his skull and sank to his knees, sharp and constant blasts of pain burning his mind, as if he were being tortured. The pain became indescribable, his nailed fingers began to rake at the back of his wrists, ripping at the skin and leaking blood. The figure screamed before the pain hit a plasma wave and instantly he passed into darkness...

* * *

The interior of the Shinra headquarters felt sparsely populated to Cloud, as the group had simply strolled through the doors of the building. Adjacent to the entrance was a large desk area that would no doubt have been used by receptionists to direct visitors to the floor they desired. Opposite this was a large set of leather sofas that could hold around twenty people, it looked a methodical and basic waiting area.

Aside from this little filled the one hundred square foot floor space. An extravagant stairwell coiled up from either side of the floor to the balcony of the first level, while in the centre of the room was a large glass mural that boasted the logo of the Shinra. Directly this was another wall board full of messages and goals for the day. It was all very drab and meaningless.

So instead he calmly focused his mind on the task at hand; the evacuation to the stairwells had meant the floor was totally devoid of working life. But this did not settle Cloud's mind, it actually made him more nervous. The Shinra would no doubt be radioing for a report from the front line of defence and when that call failed to be responded to... Well, he doubted the Shinra would simply say good sport and let them through.

So not wanting to waste anymore time, Cloud darted onwards, towards the pair of elevators that were waiting at the end of the floor. Swiftly he pressed the call button, and for twenty nervous seconds, the trio stood with weapons raised, anticipating an assault that never came.

As the ringing sound that signalled the arrival of the elevator sounded, Cloud recalled in horror and turned, ready to fight off the horde who had seen them coming. But, to his amazement, the elevator car was totally and utterly empty. He grinned widely before stepping aboard the car and, after the others had crowded inside, he hit the button for floor fifty-nine, and the doors slid shut silently.

With a jerk the elevator began to climb upwards and Cloud watched the display, seeing that the floors counted by at around three every ten seconds. With the time available he bowed his head and let off a sigh.

"Cloud?" Tifa asked. "What's wrong?"

He shook his head and pointed at the lift. "I just wish we could have gotten in quietly, I didn't want us to cause a storm until we'd gotten to Aerith."

Barret suddenly snickered. "Heh, you's never goin' t' stop su'prisin' me punk! There's times where even you's thinkin' away 'bou' other people!"

Cloud's eyes narrowed. "She sacrificed herself for Avalanche and for your daughter. It wouldn't be right to let that be in vain."

"Yeah Cloud, but making a noise now doesn't change that," Tifa intoned. "It just means that we have to work harder. We've done it before; no one expected us to survive the fall. But we have, and if I were the Shinra I'd be running scared."

All of a sudden the elevator jerked to a halt. The group, not expecting the shift in motion, were thrown aside like ragdolls and collided heavily with the walls of the elevator.

"Place your hands above your heads, interlock your fingers and get on your knees facing the wall. Prepare to be taken into custody." A drone like voice announced through an intercom installed in the elevator.

Cloud thought fast and pulled the glaive from his back. Quickly, he walked to a panel located on the wall of the elevator to the left of the doors and, forcefully, he pried the panel off its hinges to reveal a large red button. Coolly he depressed the switch and the hatch in the ceiling of the elevator car dropped open with a hissing sound.

"Up," he instructed. Tifa jumped first, using one simple pull of her hands to clear the ledge and vault on top of the car. Cloud followed suit before he dropped to his belly and leaned over the edge of the car. He held his arms out and Barret jumped upwards, grabbing on with his left hand. Cloud grabbed the other side of the limb with his second arm and pulled the gunner up.

"Thanks man," Barret announced.

"We have to regain the initiative," Tifa cut in suddenly, "so we'll split up. I'll find another route through the maintenance access shafts while you guys climb up and go through the next floor. You'll have to find your own way around."

"There ain't no ways in hell that I's gonna letcha goes on alone girl! You's with me 'til we's blowin' this place apart!" Barret shouted back.

"No, Tifa's right," Cloud interjected. "They've already seen the damage we can do as a group. Now we need to exploit their attempts to deal with it. Plus, you saw what she did with the last defence line; if there's anyone who knows how to evade an army by their self, it's Tifa."

"Don't worry about me Barret; I'll see you on floor fifty-nine. Now go before they get into that elevator!" Instantly she performed a pirouette and faced the thirty-three floor drop to the reception area. Cloud looked on as she vaulted across the open air, grabbed a thin bar and swung into the air to land on an almost invisible ladder and then begin climbing her way onwards.

"Jesus! Seeing her pull off shi' like that jus' gives me the chills! Girl will get 'erself killed if she ain't careful!" Barret commented.

Cloud shook his head. "I don't believe either of us have seen even half of what she can do. But whatever works, right? Come on, we don't want to be letting the side down."

Instantly the pair clambered up the five inch distance to the sealed elevator door of the next floor. Cloud used his sword to pry a gap before the pair took a door each and jerked it back forcefully. Then, they darted into the unknown perils of floor thirty-four.

* * *

"You have ten seconds to respond to our command!" The Security Forces fighter announced into the com-link. "Confirm that you have positioned yourselves to surrender!" The security forces fighter waited patiently, but was only greeted with silence. "Sir!" He called to the Head Sergeant. "No response from the terrorists, what is your command?"

The Sergeant pointed at the elevator doors. "Full breach; use tear gas to disable them."

Instantly the order was followed, two members of the Shinra Security Forces placed a hydraulic press level with the gap in the doors of the elevator. Within seconds the press expanded and soon a three inch gap had formed. From behind the pair one lone soldier fired three rounds from the gun in his hands. It was shaped like a sawn-off shotgun, but instead of having a pump-action reload system on the underside of the barrel it had a circular cylinder some six inches in circumference. Eight chambers held egg shaped gas shells that flew from the three inch barrel.

Members of the forces all donned gas masks instantly, and waited for the infra red visors to come online. Masked and sighted, the Security Forces advanced. The doors were pried open fully by three men a piece to reveal, to the shocked militia members, that the elevator was empty.

"Sir! The terrorists have escaped the elevator! They appear to be in the shafts!" One Corporal barked into his radio.

"Get into that shaft and give me a visual report!" The Sergeant roared back. One sentry climbed into the shaft thanks to a boost from one of his allies, where he shouted down about the elevator door for floor thirty-four being open. Instantly the militia pulled back and darted along the hallways to the stairwells.

He had watched it all unfold with a shake of the head; the Shinra Security Forces, while good at urban scenarios such as riot control, did not understand the tactics required when in siege combat. The terrorists could not have been in an area bigger than eight square feet. The car would have been sealed and easily contained the tear gas.

Yet, the Sergeant had refused to listen to the man; he had spoken about it being against protocol to not offer surrender. The figure had shaken his head, but stood back and watched the calamity unfold. Now it would fall on his report to finish the man's career; it gave him a little pleasure after the catastrophic error that had been carried out on his order.

His bald head glistened beneath the tubular lights of the hallway, with sweat dripping off his crown. His navy blue suit reflected little light, while the black sunglasses on his face disguised the emotions stirring beneath his pupils. Calmly he strode into the office and bowed before the two commanders that were seated behind the desk.

"Rude reporting... Sir!" he announced, almost with the same contempt in the tone of his voice that echoed throughout his mind.

"Acknowledged," came the swift response of his superior, Tseng. The black hair tied into a short pony tail but otherwise maintained the dark exterior that had been so customary of him. "Report on the battle in the hallway."

"The terrorists were able to escape into the shafts due to an error by the Sergeant."

"What error was this?" The second figure cut in, to many eyes he was similar to Tseng, though his voice was deeper and his suit a light blue, rather than the navy blue that was signature of the Turks operatives.

"He gave the terrorists a window to escape by following the code of surrender. Avalanche have had this code removed from their file due to the nature of their crimes. The Sergeant should have been aware of this, but when I tried to explain, he told me to stay out of the Shinra Security Force's decisions. Thus, it happened that way."

"Understood Rude; I share your displeasure over this." Tseng announced suddenly. "The tower is at lock-down priority 1-A, therefore any insurgents should have been instantly arrested. The oversight of this officer has cost us the capture of the Shinra's greatest nemesis. None the less, they are obviously at the tower in an attempt to free the Ancient. You are instructed to patrol alone; do whatever it takes to stop them. Dismissed!"

Rude bowed politely and left the room. Were it not for the shades on his face, the delighted aura of his eyes would have blinded the superiors. This was exactly the order that he wanted. Cracking his knuckles loudly, the Turk set about his dirty business, by his own rules.

* * *

The photocopier buzzed for the hundredth time, Clau was bored of the same routine of the office. While the other members of the floor dealt with assigning liability on incidents, processing cheques for obscene amounts and securing deals with intercontinental agencies. Clau was very much what one could only describe as a fax monkey.

Between midday and midnight he would stride the halls, collecting and delivering mail, then faxing and copying the instructions. The dress code didn't help alleviate his feeling of monotony and endurance. As per the world of the office, he was forced to be on his feet all day in the energy sapping suit that he was decked out in.

To the outsider, Clau looked like a man wallowing in wealth. Both of his wrists were coated in gold bracelets and rings. While his suit was a lavish red, the trousers possessing many creases that looked sharp enough to cut through steel; and the jacket was tailored with split tail and three gilded buttons that conjoined the base of the front, while the top had been folded back so it revealed half of the white shirt and black tie he wore beneath it.

The truth was more simple, in Midgar there was little else to spend the money on. The alcohol was dirt cheap, women could be scored for thirty gil a job in sector six and holiday time was so scarce that he never had the chance to jet set. Even his rent was barely a quarter of his salary. He had little money, but even less to spend it on. So, the illusion held.

He pondered his way of life as the copier buzzed again, he wondered what people would remember him for? He had no wife, no children, had never done anything of any real note. He was but another forgotten footnote in history. But he was trapped by his own hand. At eighteen he had dropped out of college as he could not keep up, and he had no other skills or trade to fall back on. Faxing and mailing were simply his tasks in life and there was no way he could change. Even if, by some small chance, he could, he reasoned it was too late.

Suddenly his train of thought was interrupted as a huge hand grabbed hold of the back of his suit. Effortlessly he was lifted off the floor and carried, rather unceremoniously, away as he kicked and struggled, but then a sword blade was pinned to his throat. Wisely he dropped the resistance, focusing instead on what reason anyone would have for taking him.

Thirty seconds later the open plan office space came to an abrupt end as his captors threw Clau into a small room used for the housing of cleaning materials. He recalled in horror at the first man; it was the very person who had broken his nose just five days previously. He recognised the other man as well; there was a wanted poster with his face on it all around the building for betraying the organisation.

"You knows whos we is doncha?" The brute who'd assaulted him asked swiftly. Chau nodded silently, deciding it was wiser to listen than speak. "Then that means that you's not gonna rat on us, aincha?"

Clau shook his head feverishly. "N... N... N... No! I... I..."

"We want to get to floor fifty-nine; it's been rather difficult to get up the last three floors with the tower on alert," the wanted man cut in conversationally. "You don't seem like the sort of person who stays in one place. In short, you're the type of man who knows another way."

"I... I... Have my... Colleagues... To think... Of..." Clau replied, nervously trying to find the conviction to voice his hatred for the terrorists. "I... Won't... Give..." The thick sword suddenly hung an inch below his throat.

"I have this sword, my friend here has a Gatling gun, and you have your life. If you want, we'll let you forfeit what you have, and simply find someone else. Is it really worth dying for?"

Clau looked into the man's eyes; he wanted so badly to spit upon the traitor, and he wanted to stand up for what he believed in. Clau was no one important, he knew that, but he was not someone who wanted to be known as a coward. It was not his way, nor was it his will, but now, as he stood on the verge between death and dishonour, he simply did not have the will to choose the former over the latter.

"No..." Clau sighed in reply, "I'll help you."

As the thug calmly put him down, Clau felt his spirit fly from him; he may as well have been dead, he certainly did not feel alive. With a dedication to their will that he did not consciously realise, Clau led the pair through the lesser populated corporate offices and conference rooms before they took a sudden turn through a narrow corridor, past some casually littered girders and lumber and on towards a wide freight elevator that would have been almost unknown to anyone in the world had it not been pointed out.

Suddenly he felt a heavy blow to the back of his head. Dizzy and confused, Chau attempted to place a hand there, to try and numb the agony that clouded his mind, before a second blow cannoned from his temple. Instantly his limbs lost all will to respond to the commands of his brain, his eyes felt heavy and mercifully he passed into darkness.

* * *

Adrenaline surged through his body.

His lungs inhaled and exhaled air rapidly while his arms, meanwhile, swung back and forwards like a pair of pendulums. His hawk eye vision had caught sight of his target as she had been charging through the worker's area of floor fifty-six. Within twenty seconds an elevator had brought him to the fifty-seventh level. As he had anticipated, she had wandered right towards him, and the moment she'd laid eyes on him, she'd turned tail and run.

Now the chase was on. Ahead, the girl was moving with incredible flexibility, to such a degree that he'd never seen before. Rude watched as she leapt onto an office workers desk and performed a forward dive. Her body curled as she cleared a twenty-inch high partition screen and landed in a perfect roll; with her left leg locked straight so that she could continue running as soon as the sole of her foot hit the floor.

Rude was much less subtle; he simply ran at the table and jumped upwards, suddenly placing his palms atop the partition and then kicked his legs out to a ninety-degree angle, and swung over the obstacle, before landing heavily on his feet, pausing for a quarter-second, and then continuing his relentless pursuit.

Tifa, the object he had acquired, sprinted down the central pathway of the office, and suddenly collided into a worker weighed down with lots of files. Papers and boards were scattered into the air like confetti at a wedding. Tifa surprised him then, as she jumped upwards and swung off a nearby light and over the body, not bothering to check if she had caused any injury to the innocent.

Rude sensed that she had a window of escape, and calmly he pulled the Glock seventeen pistol out of his shoulder holster. Not really aiming he fired off a shot, shattering the pot of a plant some three paces to Tifa's left. Rude watched as she, apparently out of instinct, swung to her right.

He grinned; she was headed straight towards a dead end. Fired up, the Turk darted after her. Ahead was the forty-foot square briefing room, used for when the Shinra had announcements that affected all employees on the floor. There was nowhere else for her to go.

Swiftly he darted into the room, blocking the only exit she could have possibly used to get out. All around him were simple chairs that were set in twenty rows, each containing at least thirty seats. At the front of the room was a slightly raised floor area, upon which were a lectern and a large projector screen. It felt more like a university lecture theatre than a briefing room for the most powerful and iconic organisation in the world.

To Rude this was all meaningless; he wanted the girl, that's all that mattered to him. The stillness of the room unnerved him somewhat; the corridor outside had no ventilation shafts, nor crawl spaces of engineer access points. There was no place that the girl could pull off an impressive move to hide inside of.

He walked four paces into the room and heard a whisper of movement behind him. Rude thought fast and dived forwards, twisting his body in the process, so that he landed flat on his back. Unskilled in the art of falling, the move took some of the wind out of him. Through blurring vision he looked on as the girl landed delicately on her feet, turned and ran back out through the door.

With an angry curse he leapt to his feet and re-initiated his pursuit. He fired blind, aiming to distract and force an error, but the girl was wise to the move and maintained her path. Rude watched as she turned right and threw up the back of her fist, smashing open a door. He rushed after her, ignoring the burning sensation in his thighs or the sharp stabs of pain that the stitch in his chest caused.

The door led to a curling stairwell, and Rude was confused momentarily as he saw no movement, nor heard the sound of feet taking the steps. He looked up in time to see Tifa leap over the stair-wall, kick off a wall for another set of steps and land two floors ahead of him. Growling in rage, he set off at speed, knowing that he had no hope of emulating the smooth and acrobatic movements that his prey was utilising and instead took to the stairs.

His eyes remained glued above him, watching for when the girl stopped her brazen escape plan. He did not have to wait long; she leapt once over the wall and did not kick off the wall. Realisation hit him; they must have cleared the distance between fifty-seven and fifty-nine.

Rude spiralled around the corner of the final set of stairs, and suddenly felt himself trip. As he fell towards the stairs, he felt a palm push against the back of his head and slam him face down into the structure, his nose smashing under the impact while his eyes filled with water. Remembering his training many years earlier, Rude allowed his body to slacken, his eyes rolling with the illusion of being unconscious. The plan worked and the girl ran by him.

He leapt to his feet and was about to grasp at the girl, when she suddenly leapt upwards, cannoning the heel of her foot into his chin. Rude could only watch, off-balance, as Tifa spiralled her body through one hundred and eighty degrees as part of the moon-sault movement. Rude gasped as she grabbed onto a low hanging beam and swung around it. Lashing out with both feet and connecting with his chest.

The pair went down the single flight of stairs together, Tifa's feet planted on his chest. The impact smashed air from Rude's body, his mind reeling from the pain along with the joints of the body. He couldn't feel his spine or hip broken, but, as he lay there, he had no way of knowing. Tifa smiled at him and aimed a single kick at his temple, and suddenly Rude's head went dizzy and confused. His ruined vision watched the girl vault back up the stairs, before a sharp pain in his head caused him to roar like an animal before the vision blackened. He felt nothing afterwards.

* * *

The freight elevators, being designed to carry a cargo load of at least fifteen tonnes, were a lot slower than the elevators that they had first used to breach the tower. This had unnerved Cloud greatly at first, but after a time, it became almost relaxing. It was almost as if the Shinra had forgotten that such a route existed but Cloud was not stupid enough to be suckered into that specific trap. It did allow him to be relaxed for the first time since they'd begun this mission.

"The suckers're gonna be waiting, ain't they?" Barret asked suddenly, breaking the silence.

Cloud nodded grimly. "The fifty-ninth floor is the crossover between general person access and the main figures of the corporation. I'm expecting this to be a dogfight, nothing elaborate or fancy here; they'll be aiming for a massacre."

Barret's glowed delightfully. "Those suckers're gonna see that Avalanche can rock it with the big guys!"

For five more minutes the ride continued in the same sluggish manner before the very wide doors of the freight elevator opened on floor fifty-nine. Cloud had his sword readied for combat, while Barret had his gun-arm raised, primed and ready. But as they stepped off the elevator, all was silent. The area they were in was a narrow corridor that led further into the floor and, furthermore, it was empty.

The corridor couldn't have been more than ten paces in length; the uniformity of it was interrupted occasionally by pristine bench seats and vending machines. Otherwise, the floor was deadly still. It felt wrong; there was no advance guard, nor was there a rush of the workers going about their business. It was as if they had intruded upon the corporation during some weekend shutdown, when even the janitors had been dismissed from their duties.

Up ahead, Cloud saw the main floor bisect the corridor and signalled for Barret to get into cover. Calmly the mercenary cocked his head around the corner and spied the area before them. It was a vast open area that covered around half of the ground floor they had walked in on. There was no cover in the area; no benches, desks or large walk in cabinets to hide behind. It was a completely exposed expanse of space.

"Nothing," Cloud quietly reported as he shook his head irritably. "There's no where to run, nowhere to hide. Looks like I was right; this is about to get messy."

"Any of the suckers out there?" Barret asked quickly.

Cloud shook his head. "Can't see anyone, but that doesn't mean they're not there. They could've found cover somewhere. The Shinra have probably been watching us closely since we came in from the front door."

Barret cursed, though he did so quietly for a change. The bigger man balled a fist, and for a heart-stopping second it looked as though he was about to slam it into the wall beside him but he stopped himself at the last second, barely restrained. "That sucker set us up," he growled deep in his throat.

"It doesn't matter whether he did or not," Cloud responded calmly, despite the grim situation the pair had found themselves in. "We're here now and going back the way we came isn't an option. We're going to have to go for it. We've got an ace up our sleeve; we only have to worry about hitting each other, but there's probably a good dozen or so of them. In those close quarters, they won't be able to do much without harming their own."

Turning his gaze away from the open space beyond, Cloud allowed himself a grim smile as he took in Barret. "Once the fighting starts do whatever you want. Are you ready?"

Barret grinned at the plan, no doubt liking the sound of it. Cloud hadn't thought he'd object. "Alright then, let's go."

Cloud bolted first, rushing around the corner. Behind him he could hear the heavy footfalls of Barret, the only confirmation he had that the bigger man was following after him. Satisfied that he had some support, the mercenary darted forward. In the middle of the floor he saw two large elevator doors and guessed that was the main way up to the top.

Seven paces away from them the red lights above them turned to blue, letting the whole floor know that the cars had arrived. Cloud stopped in his tracks and raised his weapon, holding it with the blade pointed into the air, the action having had no ill effects to his sight as he took in the place from either side of the object.

The figures stepped out of the car and Cloud felt his heart skip a beat. They all sported baggy light blue trousers that were almost flared in their style, with the base of them tucked into black boots that had been polished so heavily that they resembled the back of a beetle. Their chests were covered by a similar toned top, but overlaid on top of this was a thick metal armour plate. The shoulders were protected by wide spiked shoulder guards, and their heads were covered by a metal helmet that was designed in a similar way to a fighter pilot's.

"Cloud... Who are those suckas?" Barret chimed swiftly.

"Soldier... Third class." Cloud responded gravely. "Keep distance from them Barret, they're specialists up close; let me handle it."

Before the gunman could object, Cloud leapt into the fray. The first member of Soldier was so surprised that he barely had time to raise his sword. The weapon was different from the sword Cloud wielded; it was a more traditional weapon that possessed a gilded handle and the wrist guard flared like an eagle's wings. The sword was also straight bladed and then forming a stabbing tip, also unlike Cloud's weapon, which possessed one diagonal edge point and then the straight blade.

The last gasp defence forced Cloud's sword away from the chest and it sliced at the Soldier's arm. Cloud surprised the man with his agility as he suddenly flung his right elbow against the man's helmet. Despite the presence of the steel protector, the Soldier still staggered, such was the force of the blow. Cloud did not waste his chance; he swiftly stabbed the blade through the Soldier's groin, dispatching the enemy with ease. Ahead at least fourteen others waited.

"Irrashaimase!" Cloud roared, before leaping headlong into battle.

* * *

As the punk had ordered him to, Barret kept further back, letting the gun on his arm do all the talking. The armour of the Soldier warriors was tough, he'd got one of them at least four times in the chest, but aside from a few dents and scratches, there was nothing, and the guy didn't even properly slow down. Instead, he stopped briefly against the force and then carried on, like he was some undead creature.

Angered now, Barret began aiming lower down; one lucky shot hit a Soldier in the centre of the kneecap and the enemy fell straight away, clutching at his leg with a cry of agony. Barret grinned, now he had something to aim at! Firing again, he watched two more men go down before one Soldier surprised him and jumped upwards and through a back-flip.

Barret saw the enemy's arm glowing green and realised what the figure was doing. Quickly he turned to his right and ran, before leaping through the air. He felt, rather than saw, the trail of flame come towards where he was standing. Barret landed heavily behind a glass ledge that formed a balcony facing the front of the tower. The flame, meanwhile, had harmlessly dispersed against the marble surface.

Exposed, Barret opened fire, sending the slugs flying through the glass. With some cover fire in place, he clambered back to his feet, watching as Cloud took advantage of the shots to spear another of the enemies and then spin through one hundred and eighty degrees, swiping the bloodied blade across the waist of an unfortunate Soldier warrior.

Suddenly three Soldier fighters were rushing towards him, and Barret had nowhere left to run or hide. Turning his gun on full auto, he decided to follow Cloud's lead, rushing them. The slugs flew from his arm and into a hailstorm of magic and armour and, with a roar of hatred, battle was joined.

* * *

She had listened to the start of the battle patiently; unlike her comrades, she could not just break cover in sight of them. She lacked the overbearing weapon craft that Cloud possessed or the awesome long range capabilities of Barret. So, like a child desperate for Christmas to arrive, Tifa had laid dormant in the side room.

It amazed her that the stairwell had been so unprotected; had it not been for the Turk and his relentless pursuit, her advance on the top of the tower would have been a cakewalk. After she had escaped the elevator shaft she had found herself in some service tunnels for each floor. One thing that galled her was that she had been within inches of getting to the core power room of the tower and the chance to knock out the electricity had been in reach. Too bad that stupid Turk had to find her and screw it up.

She was awakened from her musing about missing the opportunity when she saw the last of the Soldier line advance forwards. Tifa grinned wildly before she broke cover. Her eyes locked to the back of one Soldier as she darted forwards and leapt into the air like a cobra from the desert floor. Instantly she locked her palms around the man's neck and savagely twisted it.

As the man's bone shattered she kicked against his body, the motion propelling herself forwards. Expertly she locked her feet around another Soldier's neck and swung her body around like a centrifuge, before letting her feet release the enemy, clattering him into another four warriors, tripping them from their feet.

"Yo Tifa!" Barret yelled, "I's thought that you's wuz gonna miss the party!" Barret called.

Suddenly alert to being surrounded, the Soldier warriors formed a defensive ring. At first it held well; three times Barret had been hit on the gun arm, the blades on causing superficial scratches, much to his relief, while Cloud had been forced to repeatedly sway away from an attack.

However, as each of the warriors fell, the circle shrank further and the tactics for survival grew ever more desperate. One of the men had leapt from the line sharply and almost caught Cloud on the back-foot, only for the mercenary to block the assault with the outside of his blade and reverse the motion into the neck of the enemy.

For ten long minutes the circle dwindled until the last enemy fell. Cloud swiftly searched amongst the corpses and found a key-card. He pocketed it before opening the elevator door and leading the others inside.

Unlike the previous elevators, this one was totally glass on the outside, precariously it hung on the exterior of the building. Looking below Cloud realised that the structure of the tower narrowed after a few floors, as though the wide base would spread the weight forced upon it and prevent the tower from collapsing in high winds.

His eyes noticed the card swipe area next to the elevator control panel which showed greyed out numbers from sixty all the way to sixty-nine. He tried his luck and swiped the card found by the corpse of the Soldier warriors, only to grumble angrily as it only went as high as sixty.

"Looks like this card won't take us any higher than the next floor," Cloud reported bitterly. "We'll have to find our own way up from there."

"Shi'! They's no' making this any easier for us, is they?" Barret responded.

Cloud shook his head. "I doubted that they ever would, but still we have a window of opportunity, so we should use it. As of now we're at the hive of the headquarters. Be careful from here on in. They can call on literally anything as back-up. What just happened was the introduction. This is where it gets more difficult."

Silently the group watched the elevator kick into life with a jerk, before they began their ascent to the top of the headquarters.


	9. Heart of a new god

Chapter 9 - Heart of a new god

Cloud stood with his back rooted to the small space to the left of the elevator door. Opposite him, Tifa mirrored his posture, obscuring the numerous switches that led to the other floors below. Barret, however, stood in the very centre of the elevator, his gun-arm levelled and the bullet belt feed locked, ready to send a shower of whirling death at anyone or anything beyond the doors.

Despite there being only one floor of difference between the zone where Avalanche had engaged Soldier and the target floor, it had somehow taken a good thirty seconds to ascend the building. Naturally this had made Cloud nervous, even though it made sense. After all, who'd want to ride an elevator on the outside of a building at high speed?

Cloud signalled to the doors with three fingers. His two comrades nodded at the gesture, aware that it was the signal to be ready to engage. With a gentle movement the elevator glided to a halt. In his mind the mercenary counted, coming to three before the doors moved open. Instantly they raised their weapons...

Only to see no spotlights trained upon the elevator.

There was no army waiting to cut them down. No one in the immediate area to intercept their movements. No one at all.

Instantly suspicious, Cloud angled his sword forwards and used the shiny blade to view a mirror image of what lay ahead. All he could see was what looked like a solid wall, as high as the ceiling from the ground, and a large door to some annex room far to the left. To the right was nothing but three inconspicuous vending machines.

"I don' like thi' Cloud!" Barret announced, no doubt feeling the same sense of unease that filled the ex-Soldier. "Where's the big bad Shinra army?"

Cloud nodded thoughtfully, wondering the exact same thing. "Good instincts Barret," he riposted quietly. "Very good. My only explanation is that they're busy containing the scene below us where we took out the Soldier unit."

"That makes no sense." Tifa cut in suddenly, her tone betraying the disbelief the words conveyed. "Back when I was a runner this sort of thing happened when a drop went south. Even if the runners grouped together and took a unit out, they wouldn't call off the hunt, or just leave the least functioning unit to contain the strike zone."

"That was on the streets." Cloud countered. "Could be that for some reason they think we're less likely to not leave a trail. Either way, we're too exposed here. Let's make for the annex room. No cameras that I can see and no guards." He signalled with one finger in a diagonal line at eleven o' clock.

Tifa bolted first, using her natural speed and lack of bulky weaponry to her advantage. Cloud followed in her wake, while Barret brought up the rear, his weapon primed just in case of an attack.

Cloud looked at the exterior markings that gave a suggested schematic of the room. He gauged them to be no more than five metres by seven metres. The door was approximately two and half metres high, and, like every other door they had seen so far, it had a form of electronic shutter that appeared to go up. The ceiling height would clearly give it the room but, unlike the other doors though, there appeared to be no outside switch or card reader.

"Stop!" Cloud cut in, his gaze arrested by the brown square outline in the floor. It was half a metre wide and one metre deep, completely in contrast to the polished mirror look of the marble floor it was set within. "A pressure pad. I guess that's how the door works, but look at how narrow it is. Anyone opening it could be walking into a trap."

"I'll take the right side of the door with Barret," Tifa suggested. "You take the left and use your sword to apply the pressure. Once it's open we can see what comes our way."

Swiftly the pair took up their position and, once they were in the clear, Cloud cautiously skirted the perimeter of the pressure pad and stood with his back to the wall. He leaned his head forwards and Tifa responded with a nod of hers. He took a swift breath and then gripped his sword double-handed before stabbing the blade down to the floor and applying full pressure at the last second.

In between the trio, the door gave out a violent hissing sound, before it flipped upwards with a peculiar noise, similar to a sudden gust of wind between a pair of skyscrapers. The group felt time practically stop as they awaited the sudden thunder of booted feet and armed militia, swarming from within as if they were ants defending the colony.

However, there was nothing but silence before the strange noise of the gas pistons announced itself again, and the vertical door slid shut. As Cloud nodded his satisfaction, Barret went in first, just in case a Shinra Commander had read his move.

"Sucker's clear!" He called and the others followed his lead, the door sliding shut behind them.

"Got an idea," Cloud cut in suddenly. Pressing his sword over the edge of a panel like he'd done in the elevator, he applied pressure to the weapon before prying open the cover. Inside were a network of wires, criss-crossing in seemingly random formations in an assortment of colours. Despite the temptation, he resisted the urge to just slash through them.

A lesson he had learned from his time in Soldier had been that an unfamiliar network of wires had a whole host of unfamiliar consequences. When in a protected building, it was unlikely that cutting the wrong one would only spray dry ice upon you. Much more likely was an alarm, electrocution or the release of a nerve gas.

But, just because the wires might cause problems, it did not mean that the panel was wholly useless. Seeing such a large array of wires made Cloud aware that the Shinra had cut a few corners in order to build their monolith. Rather than have each set of wiring independently routed in order to secure to them all from one direct attack, the Shinra relied upon no one having the sense to actually do anything with the standard wiring.

Mostly they'd be correct, but Cloud knew this more than anyone due to his activities in the field. Why spend time cutting lighting when you could simply unlock all the doors via a hacking programme? That mentality had led to the arrest of numerous insurgents and minimal casualties to Shinra field personnel.

As he looked beyond the wires, Cloud smiled to himself. The Shinra had put the fuses for each network in the same panels. He saw no reason to risk cutting the wrong wire when he could simply cut the network off by removing the fuses. With great care he levered out the small cylindrical units, instantly locking the door, and shorting out the main lighting locally, triggering the tiny back up boxes on the walls into life.

"That'll confuse the hell out of whoever is beyond that door," Cloud announced in explanation. "But we have to act fast, they radio this in and the clean-up team below might just come straight here."

He walked to the sealed door and slid the blade into tiny slit between the metal frame the edge of the door. Once firmly in place he signalled Barret to his side, and together, the pair pushed on the handle in the direction of the frame. For five seconds all it did was cause muscle strain, but a tiny grinding saw the runners give way and the door slide open.

"How?" Tifa asked.

"Emergency in case power is cut off. No room up top for a mechanism that will manually lift the door, so as a precaution it has a side manual release, though it puts the door out of commission." Cloud added a shrug to his explanation that carried on into his tone. "Not that it's a problem."

Suddenly, the ex-Soldier dropped down onto his stomach before etching forward somewhat so he could just barely make out his surroundings from around the frame. He was still fairly out of the line of sight of anyone who could potentially be lying in wait, so revealing his presence wasn't a problem.

Directly ahead of him was a central walkway. Cloud gauged the distance between the door he leant through, and the door to the stairwell, to be at least fifteen metres. To his right, as before, was the floor to ceiling wall. To the left, he could see outlines of what appeared to be posts of some sort. Unfortunately, with the emergency lighting, it was impossible to know what they were up against and the angle certainly wasn't helping matters.

"Visibility is down to a couple of metres at best. I really wouldn't want to charge in there blind," Cloud mused as he slid back into the sanctuary of the annex room.

"Cloud, these suckers is gonna call it back up and screw us!" Barret responded with his voice only slightly below normal.

"This isn't the reactor. We'll be too exposed if we walk out inviting a fire fight. We need to gain the initiative," Cloud countered. He was about to go further when he saw Tifa slide by him and stand beside the exit. "Tifa? What's this in aid of?" He asked suddenly.

She raised a solitary finger to her lips and cocked her head around at a right angle to see outside. "I can take care of them quickly and silently. Don't forget, I was a runner, and that meant evading the authorities and fighting them."

She suddenly turned back to face the pair. "It wasn't all about running and jumping from point A to point B." She winked almost playfully before turning her attention ahead of her. "Keep quiet a second."

Suddenly, she cupped a hand to her left ear, a faint whispering of voices and static filled the air. "They're trying to radio through for support. Wait here, I have to take care of this now!" Before either man could protest, she had darted into the darkness.

* * *

"This is Commander Alpha Zulu 7524, floor sixty unit leader, emergency situation report! Local electrical power is down on our floor, visibility zero, and no apparent cause. Shinra HQ respond!" He spat into the receiver as quietly as he could. In all his years, Commander Gellan had never seen the power shut down so swiftly. Not without a tannoy announcement of an outage in the whole building.

Thus, it meant one thing. Someone had tampered with the power.

_"Commander Alpha Zulu 7524 come in,"_ the radio commanded suddenly.

"Received, go ahead control," Gellan replied quietly and swiftly.

_"Support currently unavailable,"_ the device called out, much to his chagrin. _"Floor fifty-nine has suffered a severe strike by the terrorist unit Avalanche, and staff are currently searching the perimeter. Proceed with lockdown protocol bravo." _

The radio cut out before he had a time to respond.

"_Bastards_! Those terrorists could be here now." He turned to a private, new to the unit, who had his weapon cocked and was shaking violently. "Son, there isn't any shame in being afraid, but if you let it shake your rifle arm in such a fashion, you'll never hit a barn door."

The private nodded. "No combat experience... Sir!" He replied courteously.

"Well, the waiting is the part everyone dreads son," Gellan began suddenly, not unkindly. "These terrorists have a knack of striking like a viper in the grass. President Shinra ordered an entire plate brought down on them and _still_ they crawled from the rocks without so much as a word. They just upped and attacked while the guard was down, so that's..."

He stopped as he realised the Private had given no indication of being attentive, and Gellan was not one to be ignored. Swiftly he looked in the Private's direction, only to see him lying on the ground, his face blued from a lack of oxygen. Behind the Private two more of his unit lay with wounds to the carotid arteries and temples.

"But..."

Before he could pull his weapon to bear, he felt a pair of arms lock around his throat and pull him down to the floor. As a pair of legs suddenly swung from behind him, pinched his legs and waist tightly, he realised his assailant was behind and beneath him. Desperately he clawed at the arms, determined to break the iron grip. His eyes began to blur and he knew that he was close to blacking out.

He tried one last move. His right hand pulled at the combat knife and he prepared a backhanded stab. Yet, as his mind sent the signal to his arm, the limb did not move. He gave one final cough before his head rolled to the side and he passed into darkness.

* * *

Cloud had merely shrugged as Tifa stepped back into view, with a wave she signalled for them to move on. The floor was silent, so quiet a pin gently tapping against a wooden desk would resonate as if channelled through a microphone. Behind the statues, he could see the still bodies of the enemy, though he could not tell if this was due to unconsciousness or death.

"The lead guard had this on him," Tifa announced triumphantly, shattering the illusion of quiet in an instant. Her fingers gently held a keycard in place. "Thing is, it's not obvious what sort of clearance he has."

"Tha' don' matter a jot!" Barret chimed in, "so lon' as tha sucker's card works, who give' a shi' 'bou' tha'?"

"I do," Cloud countered icily. "The level of clearance lets us know how far up the food chain an agent is. Evidently, to get to Aerith, we're going to need to steal a card from someone high enough up to gain us access." He paused suddenly. "That is, of course, if all the doors and stairwells are keycard activated. Depending on how far up we can go, we might even see code words or biometric locks."

"We're wasting time!" Tifa interrupted. "One bridge at a time, come on!"

Authoritatively she led on, swiping the card through the reader at the right of the door, it slid upwards instantly, allowing them immediate access.

Cloud's eyes scanned the area and in his head he began to calculate the schematics. He could see very little room for movement. The stairwell upwards appeared to be less than a metre wide, matching the doors for width. To the right of the bottom step, he could see a small seating area with around seven cushions. On the back wall a plasma TV screen showed an image of palm trees and exotic food with the quote: **Sixty-first state, enjoy a relaxing meal and drinks off-duty, Suica accepted.**

He smiled at this, a thought creeping into his mind.

"The next floor is a Shinra Restaraunt." He cut in, to the shock of the others about him. He took the key-card from Tifa and walked over to a small elliptical shaped contact plate next to the plasma. As he touched the card in place, the figure 10000 was displayed along with the currency symbol for Gil.

"No way!" Tifa gasped in shock. "I thought they never made it to production! Suica was going to be a travel and food card that could be used on all transport and also certain places people can get food. But when the war ended and Shinra had to rebuild, they canned it as too expensive to implement for the whole public."

"Wha' tha' gotta do with anythin'?" Barret asked while he scratched his head in confusion.

"Well, I'm guessing that this means we can gather some intelligence. The corporate food bar is one of the places people like to relax. So we might hear some gossip, and since he's paying, we may as well have a drink."

Cloud began to ascend the stairs when he stopped and turned to face them. "But follow my lead. A cover story will be needed." Smoothly he completed the climb and swiped the card against the slot, allowing immediate access to the area beyond.

He stared at the bar and was impressed at the sight. He had expected a cheap lounge with standard furniture and maybe a feed of the Shinra news bulletin. Instead, his pupils feasted on individual booths that had sofas designed to seat up to twenty people in an elliptical shape that reminded him of a soccer stadium. There was a long table in the middle, and he could see scented candles set around each booth, of which he counted at least eight in total.

His ears rang as the sound of ice being deposited into tumbler glasses radiated from the bar. A wave of chatter, scrambled and confused, seeped into his mind like smoke. He saw at least two tables occupied by Shinra guard units and one full of corporate administrators, all bedecked in suits so pristine that he believed he could sharpen his sword on one.

Carefully he selected a booth for the three of them to his left, positioned so that he could see the bar area ahead himself, while he directed the others to sit opposite him, so they could keep an eye on the space behind. Even though the stairwell was to the right, Cloud was careful enough to know that some space was always left unused by the Shinra. It was due to a policy they implemented ever since four people had been trapped in a fire some twenty years ago. The extra space meant that there was always a path for reaching the stairwell.

"Welcome to sixty-first state sir," a woman suddenly announced, jarring the ex-Soldier from his thoughts.

Cloud glanced in her direction and saw she was in a standard uniform of dark shirt and trousers with shined shoes. "Your party are welcome to food, though our chef is currently backlogged and waiting time is approximately thirty-minutes." Cloud shook his head. "I understand sir, can I get you and your party anything to drink?"

"I'll have a Johnny Walker blue on the rocks. What about you two?" He replied conversationally.

"Bottle of Texas." Barret gruffly answered.

"Costa del fuego." Tifa stated neutrally.

As the bargirl provided the card slot, Cloud pressed it in place and watched as 2000 Gil was wiped off the balance. The woman smiled and promised she would return swiftly.

"Costa del wha'?" Barret asked, summing up the thoughts of both Cloud and he.

Tifa chuckled. "It's a drink served on the middle continent, sort of like a vodka cocktail. Since this was a high-end bar, I thought I'd test them, they've done ok." She announced with a smile.

Cloud nodded his head. " Why yes of course," he began swiftly, motioning a tiny circle with his thumb and index finger, while he picked up a napkin as a cover. "We anticipate great exponential growth in that area. It's why we're at the table today. As one of the highest rankers of the military, I can assure you that safe passage of this raw energy is tantamount to Shinra protocol."

"Well that settles our minds a little, but you _are_ aware that the market can reflect the growth, so we must be certain this product will not just turn over," Tifa countered.

Cloud smiled. "I can assure you that once the market sees this product, it will bed-in swiftly. No product flies immediately off the shelves. That's why we're negotiating a contract for the branding with you."

"Well you gotta appreciate the effor' our people are puttin' in," Barret replied, in a forced tone that did little to disguise the roughness of his voice.

"Relax Corte," Tifa salvaged swiftly. "I understand how much effort the manual workers put in, and I appreciate you representing them here with me. But this contract is of the highest level, so please, allow me to handle the discussion?"

"Hmph! If tha's tha way you wan' i'." Barret replied with a brusque tone.

Cloud was about to continue the conversation when the bargirl returned, the tray in her hands was settled smoothly onto the table, as she handed the three of them their drinks with a smile.

"The management would like to apologise for not being able to supply food for your meeting Sir," she began formally. "We wish for you all to accept some of our finest cold meats, as a complimentary term of our service."

Cloud smiled back. "That was not really necessary, but please inform the management of our thanks, and that I shall pass on the good service to my head Commander for the next time our department wish to implement your services."

The lady bowed at this and moved away, carrying the tray with her.

"All right, for now the floor is ours. Listen, we know that Aerith is going to be higher up the building. Now that we've attracted enough attention in the lower floors, it would be to our advantage if we didn't have to engage anyone else until we get her from this point on." Cloud began, happy to change the subject. "But, on the flipside, we have to get the cards to get us higher up."

"Wha' abou' tha' one?" Barret indicated the key card they had currently. "From how tha waitress treated us, I'd say tha guy wuz a Commander. So tha's gotta mean he woul' go up right?"

Cloud shook his head. "Doubtful. We're above the main building now and in the restricted zone. More than likely they'll have a special operations unit of the main militia, or even Solider in charge of security at this level."

"Let's not forget the Turks," Tifa cut in. "If I were the President and I had such a slippery unit under my authority, I'd have them close by at whatever cost."

_"Hey!"_ A voice suddenly barked, Cloud looked to his right and saw a man in a standard business suit walking over. _"What's going on here? There is a crisis on level fifty-nine, and I see you, sat here drinking with... With... These civilians!"_ The stranger angrily protested.

Cloud calmly rose to his feet, standing so that his eyeballs were level with the intruder. "And who, pray tell, do you represent and answer to?" He retorted with a tone cold enough to freeze fire.

"Umm... Well... I am part of the administrative division on floor sixty-six. I mainly liaise through Mayor Domino." The man responded with a nervous and jittered disposition.

"I see," Cloud answered with a sigh of discontent. "And was it Mayor Domino who advised you to be looking for stray members of the Soldier elite?"

"Well that's not..."

"Answer my question!" Cloud barked back, cutting the man off mid-sentence.

"I am a trusted advisor to the Mayor. When I ask I..."

Cloud raised his hand. "So what you are telling me, is that you are a representative of the Mayor, but cannot divulge your purpose, other than to suggest I am failing to perform my sworn duty? Which, should you not be aware, is sworn to the President?"

"Well I didn't..." The man began to whimper in protest.

"Correct administrator, you didn't think. Clearly, you are also unaware of Shinra uniform protocol. The uniform I wear is representative of the Soldier military division. I am fully cognicent of the threat to the building caused by the terrorist attack. You mentioned you represent the Mayor? Well then, you should be very happy that I am currently in the middle of a special liaison conference with an outside company on the multiple upgrades that can be made in the prevention of attacks on our sites. Not to mention the multiple up skilling and reassigning of personnel..."

"Oh! No, no, please don't mis-understand! That is not what I intended... I appreciate the level of dedication..."

Cloud held out his hand. "I require your access card. Effective immediately, you will report to your immediate superior that Soldier have revoked your free-roaming access pending an internal affairs review. I would advise that if you have any future enquiries about Soldier activity, you report them directly to your superior for discussion and analysis. Dismissed!" He barked as he swiped the card from the administrator's hand and pocketed it. Cloud watched as the dejected figure walked away before he sat back down.

"Ain' tha' gonna make us stand out?" Barret asked with a mutter.

"No more than an armed assault," Cloud said with a shrug. "Our name is notorious as it is. Doing this sort of impersonation will be seen as subtle. We don't know how high this goes, and we're best avoiding the elevators. If they detect a stolen ID card they might be able to shut the thing down and bust us."

Swiftly he slugged the last of his whiskey. "Come on we have to go."

* * *

Calmly he turned over the fourth body, as per the code, before he pressed two fingers to the jugular for sign of a pulse. Once this failed to yield a result, he pulled his fingers away and glanced up. His eyes feasted on the expression of the bald man's face, his pupils were sank towards the floor, while his left hand rested against his chin.

"What's your opinion Rude?" He asked while rising from the body.

"Some form of close fight," the figure responded.

"Go on," Tseng invited.

"What do you want me to say? Four guards got surprised by someone."

Tseng smiled. "I do so admire a forthcoming operative. It's one of the things that got you noticed all those years ago. The abrupt and accurate reports we received from you, Rude, is partly why I recruited you. In this instance I support your theory. All four bodies show signs of an up close struggle. Commander Gellan has severe bruising along the front of the throat, and his waist is showing marks from some form of restraint. Only, the marks are on the front of the leg."

"That on both thighs?" Rude enquired, Tseng nodded, inviting a further review. "I'd say that Tifa was at least responsible for taking _him _out. That sort of marking and the bruising on the throat suggests a sanbo clutch hold, where the attacker is behind and beneath the victim."

Tseng smiled. "I'll report your theory to the medical examiner for consideration in the autopsy. The other victims have either received a single blunt force blow or been strangled from what I can tell. Though I don't doubt the M.E will find much to twitter on about, once he gets a hold of the crime scene and the bodies."

Tseng turned to a nearby Shinra guard commander, who saluted at his gaze. "Await the Medical Examiner and do not dismiss your men until the CSI's have arrived on scene. No personnel other than those who to be permitted onto the scene should be allowed to be here. Dismissed!"

The guard saluted once more, before he barked orders at the subordinates he commanded.

"So now we know they're up here. How do we catch them?" Rude asked swiftly.

"We wait them out. Avalanche's advantage of perceived death is countered by the fact that we know their purpose. They have never been brazen enough to attack the main headquarters before. Now that we've captured the Ancient, that has changed. They're here for her and, as I explained to Reeve earlier, we let them get to her before we catch them."

"What if they don't play ball?"

Tseng shook his head. "They don't have the aces in their hand for such a play. Cloud has displayed an amazing resourcefulness and calm in his movements. Having launched a direct assault earlier, he'll be wanting this to be low-key up from this point on." Tseng pointed at the bodies. "Why do you think there is no blood, stab wounds or shell casings? Because Cloud _wanted_ it to be a silent advance. It's more than likely he didn't even want to fight anyone. So he'll be calmly and quietly fishing for information on where to find her. We just have to sit tight and let him make all the moves, before we force him into check-mate."

"You want the situation monitored then?"

Tseng nodded. "What happens between now and the Ancient is not that relevant to us. Let Solder and the Shinra guard chase their tails on this one. What we need to do is be in play to let Avalanche through. We'll watch and monitor the feeds and communications from the security rooms on the sixty-seventh floor."

Swiftly the pair departed the scene, leaving a million and one questions from faceless guards in their wake.

* * *

He walked down the central pathway of the floor and savoured the relaxed nature of the people around him. Floor sixty-two had revealed nothing of worth to the trio, aside from a small utility room that contained a few torches. These were pocketed by Tifa, just in case the Shinra turned the power tables upon them. It had been a strange floor in that there were multiple rooms, barely more than five metres wide. They wouldn't have been able to figure anything out, except that the mail sacks had given away the trick. Cloud had decided the group would be unlikely to find any useful information by looking through the mail.

So they left the dull grey floor behind and had advanced upon floor sixty-three. Barret had summed the view up when he'd stated that books wouldn't give them anything fast. Tifa had giggled and Cloud had allowed himself to syphon some humour from the moment as well. Libraries were always places of wisdom and solitude. While the Shinra had four colossal rooms, apportioned to which were many differing subjects, Avalanche was far more interested in facts from the present, rather than the past.

Floor sixty-four though was habited by many members of staff utilising the facility. It was an expansive gym, from the doorway Cloud had spotted a wall of gym lockers, while beside them was an entry point to a tiled area that would undoubtedly have showers. His eyes had glanced then upon the males and females, all adorned in sports bikinis, tracksuits and even bare-chested, while they pumped iron, ran on treadmills or boxed against hanging bags.

"So as you can see," he began while gesturing at his partners, "while you are visiting the headquarters on conference, you will be given full let of the facilities."

"Why's they using here if they's par' o' the army?" Barret enquired.

Cloud pointed at a small woman. "Not all staff in the building form the armed forces. We have many administrative and political members of staff. So for them, it would not be comfortable to train in the shadow of military personnel." A bag swung into their path and Tifa executed a swift kick. The resultant impact sent the bag back towards the training area.

"Sorry about that sir," a man apologised as he placed a white towel over his sweat drenched neck. "When I get into the routine I can get a bit carried away."

Cloud nodded at the well-built figure. "It can happen, though be grateful our security liaison is trained to a high standard. Can I ask what your role is?"

"I am part of the secret service sir... I shouldn't have said that here, dammit!"

Cloud chuckled. "Relax I'm a First Class member of Soldier and well aware of the Presidential security detail. Is the President available? He did advise that at some point he would like to meet face to face with our security liaison team."

"Nah, he ain't available now, else I'd be keeping my hand close to a Glock seventeen rather than kicking at the fight sack. I think there's a conference of key personnel on floor sixty-six that starts in about half an hour. No idea how long it will last though. I hear they have a good relaxation room there for appointees though, so I'd give that a shot."

Cloud nodded and offered his hand, the security member shook it. "A very big pleasure to meet you. I'll put in a good word for you when I see the President."

"Thank you very much, my name is Dobias, and I'd greatly appreciate the word. You know what it's like when the appraisal season comes about." He replied with a chuckle. "Any extra credit can lead to that raise."

"I understand completely. Have fun with the rest of your workout." He finished before he led the others on. "Floor sixty-six, if everyone is present they'll have a very secure room," he began once out of earshot of anyone else. "We don't have much time, forget anywhere in between, we have to get to floor sixty-six."

* * *

His nose drew in the scent of the camomile as he poured a serving from the porcelain pot set in front of him. He blew on the brew, sending a tiny plume of steam into the immediate air around, then took a sip of the sweetened tea. His throat now moistened, he set the Wutaian cup down and took in the powerful image of the room once again.

Floor sixty-six conference room had served as the nerve centre for all discussions of the Shinra ever since the first pane of glass had been set upon the girded skeleton of the sky-touching monolith. The room was easily three times the size of a regular briefing room, the oval shaped central table being an imposing seven metres in circumference alone.

The table had been fashioned for the President personally after reading of a legendary band of knights, who many centuries before had defended a realm. The knights legend had a cornerstone belief that they all convened at a round table and pledged their swords to fight whatever evils threatened their realm. The President had long wanted to know if any of this mythical location remained, though interpretations of maps suggested it was lost to the uncharted waters North-East of Midgar.

Still, the shadow of that legend remained at the heart of the ruling corporation, the table accommodating a maximum of sixteen people. Behind the head seat, reserved for the President, was a huge window that granted a view of Midgar's Southern skyline while, at the other end of the room was an intimidating projector screen that was roughly three metres by five metres.

Reeve waved a strand of his long dark hair behind his ears, before he took another sip of his tea. Directly in front of him sat Palmer, a figure he had long grown to have nothing below sheer disdain for. He wore a beige suit, which almost suggested he might have been an army general, though his seventeen stone frame would eradicate any sense of athleticism or military training. His high weight figure was made all the more unappealing by the fact he was about five feet two inches in height. The resultant weight to height imbalance made him look podgy at best.

As the head of the aeronautics and aviation division, Palmer was charged with the least responsibility in the Corporation. Reeve smiled at this. It was a perfect match for his lack of abilities since Shinra hadn't been very interested in expanding the air force since the end of the Wutai war. Even though, he had to admit, that the anti-gravitation suits had made defending the core pillar in the Seventh sector a lot more manageable than previously thought.

Aside from this, the interceptors based at the outlying bases and the abandoned 'Highwind' project, his division barely existed. It only served to raise morale, though the plump figure could never see it that way. He simply lacked the intelligence.

To the right of Palmer, however, was a man to be feared, the imposing Heidegger. His physical appearance, from a distance, mirrored that of the aviation head, though his face had a large black beard and eyebrows that were thick and full. No, the physique was not what made this man imposing; it was the attire he wore.

The large green suit jacket and accompanying camouflage trousers showcased him to be of military ranking. Couple this with the twenty or so medals pinned to his jacket and that became all the more reinforced. Contrastly, his title was Head of public safety maintenance. Reeve though, unlike many in the Corporation, was not fooled by this. The title meant that he was theoretically the Shinra field marshal, and that meant absolute authority over the military.

At his side was the mysterious form of Scarlet. Reeve had never really understood how she became apparent to the Shinra as a woman to entrust responsibility to. He still hadn't figured out where she had come from, and this was not helped by tendency to obscure every facet of her being from visibility.

Her face was covered by a thick scarlet veil that only revealed the piercing blue eyes of her face. The thick mousy blonde hair was tied back in a long ponytail, while a simple and unadorned scarlet coloured dress covered the rest of her body. How this matched her role as Head of weapons research and development, remained a mystery. Though she was a head figure in relation to military matters, and that made her dangerous. All people answered to her in some way or form, everyone, that is, except the President and Heidegger. Reeve had long decided the trio were ones to walk wide around.

"All rise for the President!" A sentry called suddenly. Instantly the figures stood and saluted.

Reeve watched the most powerful man in the world walk in. Like Heidegger, he commanded immediate attention by sheer presence alone. A person did not pay attention to his height or weight, this was the President, and the respect he commanded was total.

"Be seated." At his order everyone sat down, Reeve being one of the first. "I convene the session at 19:00 hours. The meeting today is to assess the aftermath of the incident that afflicted Sector Seven and the immediate movements we, as a Corporation, should be taking forthwith." Reeve maintained eye contact as the figure looked to Heidegger. "Please confirm the military findings."

"Of course, Mr President," the military man replied before clearing his throat importantly. "Losses in the Seventh Sector have been substantial Mr President. So far at least two thousand civilian corpses have been retrieved. The military casualties currently count at two hundred, give or take a few dozen."

Heidegger immediately sat down and Reeve felt the gaze shift his way.

"What are the initial observations of your division, Reeve?"

Reeve stood up quietly. "Mr President, I have no further details regarding casualties. However, my division of public safety maintenance has focused on the financial impacts."

The President nodded for him to continue. "So far the damage estimate is at least one billion gil. With the shockwaves also affecting reactors six and eight, we have initiated a priority one shutdown in order to prevent a further loss. Power is being syphoned from the Junon grid in the interim." Reeve paused and turned over his notes. "The cost estimated is purely on economic loss, to actually rebuild the figure..."

"We are not rebuilding," the President cut in suddenly.

"S... Sir? I am afraid I don't understand," Reeve replied.

"As I have just stated, we will not be rebuilding Sector Seven. The Mayor and I are of the belief that overall reconstruction and rebuilding the financial capital from the Seventh sector is beyond economic means."

"But Mr President," Reeve protested, fearing for his own fate as he did so, "by not rebuilding, are we not guilty of playing into the hands of the terrorists? They have constantly threatened to undermine and destabilise this administration. Not rebuilding will be as good as surrender to them."

"I must say that I agree with this, Mr President." Heidegger began suddenly, much to Reeve's own personal shock. "The terrorists have already caused us to lose two reactors entirely, and the knock on effect of the Seventh Sector is restrictions at two more. The populace are going to be more fearful and our influence on them will weaken."

"We are not rebuilding!" The President shouted. "The public are going to be spoon-fed a statement of how Avalanche launched an assault upon the Sector that was so catastrophic that rebuilding is not safe or even possible."

"Mr President, they're currently at large in this very tower. Their presence alone can undermine even that."

The President shook his head. "Reeve, we will have them captured within the evening. Once we have confirmation they are in the cells, we shall go on record to say they are going to be tried for genocide, and this enables us to advance on the most aggressive strategy." He paused suddenly, causing Reeve's nerves to fray. "For today, we restart the Neo-Midgar plan!"

A collective gasp sounded from all in the room. Reeve tried to drink in the statement, Neo-Midgar was the Shinra's ultimate goal, to build a city at least twice the size of Midgar, with the means to power it for no fewer than three hundred years. The whole project was shelved when the last known Ancient disappeared seventeen years previously. The knowledge of their people was the most important aspect for finding a suitable site. Thus the announcement, to Reeve, made no sense at all.

"Mr President," he began nervously. "This plan required the co-operation of the Ancients. Are you saying their knowledge is now within our grasp?"

The President nodded. "Hojo shall brief us very shortly around this. He has confirmed that the subject is suitable and, once he has his results, we shall know more. In the meantime, to help fund this, we are implementing a tax rate increase of 15%. The public are being told this is to clear the Seventh Sector of bodies and dangerous chemicals. The truth is to remain in this conference room."

"Rate hike! Rate hike!" The sudden juvenile screeching shattered Reeve's eardrums and his eyes feasted on the pathetic sight. Were it not for the meeting taking place on the sixty-sixth floor, he'd have been rolling on the floor in laughter, as the plump form of Palmer danced like a schoolgirl. "Oh Mr President," the figure cooed in a sickening tone. "Please include the aeronautics division in this windfall."

The President's cold eyes pierced the figure. "The dividend is purely for the plan," the President rebuffed frostily. In his head, Reeve felt a stab of fear and it was not even him that was being addressed. "Reeve and Scarlet will be liaising on how to utilise this as part of our ultimate goal. Should there be any funds available, it will then be redistributed evenly."

As Palmer sank back to his seat, all eyes turned to the main door of the conference room. The five feet thick security shutter parted in the middle, almost as if the whole wall was coming apart. Reeve took in the appearance of the newcomer, he was an ageing, the crown of his head gleamed as the multiple beams of light from the fluorescent tubes kissed it. His identity badge swayed left to right from the front of his full-length laboratory coat. The long greasy hair at the back of the head spooled over his shoulders, while an ancient pair of spectacles hung loosely on the end of his nose.

"Thank you for attending the meeting Professor Hojo," the President announced formally. "As I have explained to the committee, we intend to re-launch the Neo-Midgar plan. Imperative to this, is the knowledge of the Ancients, please provide your report."

The Professor flicked a switch and the huge plasma came to life, reflected in the LCD screen was the subject Aerith. At a tap of the switch, the screen split along the middle and a second figure emerged to her right. At first the appearances of the face matched, only Aerith had slightly fuller lips and blue eyes in contrast to the other woman.

"The subject on the right is the missing, presumed dead, subject IF3976, more commonly as known as Ifalana, the mother of the subject on the left, Aerith Gainsborough." As he pressed another button multiple statistics emerged underneath the images. "This is just the beginning of our analysis but so far the compatibility between both samples is approximately 18%."

The President's eyes narrowed. "This is not a university, Professor. Come to the point and explain how this is relevant to the committee!"

"You all believe that an answer is derived immediately. Science awaits only the facts, thus time and patience is required," Hojo sniffed contemptuously. "The compatibility means that we will not obtain exact traits of the Ancients, only what is hereditary in the sample."

"How long will this evaluation take?" Reeve interjected as an attempt to break the hostile atmosphere.

Hojo shrugged his shoulders. "The Ancients are a marvel of biology possessing characteristics unique to any other given species." He replied vaguely. "To conduct a full analysis for us to fully understand them will require a substantial review over a great period of time. Probably to the range of around 130 years."

The room collectively gasped at the admission, though Reeve could see this did not faze the scientist. "It is why I hypothesise that we breed her with a creature of substantial life expectancy and create a suitable offspring."

The President slammed his hand against the table. "We cannot afford to wait such a ridiculous length of time for this information! We require to move as soon as possible."

Hojo shrugged. "The science does not lie. My team may be able to compartmentalise the study and focus solely on reactions to the planet, but even this is unlikely to yield answers within a number of years. I must return to my lab." Immediately the man departed the room.

"In light of this information..." Reeve stopped mid-sentence as the President raised his hand. "Mr President?"

"Save it, the plan remains. We know that Neo-Midgar needs to be around a substantial untapped reserve of Mako energy. Concentrate all searches on that and the terrorists. We can find it without the information from the girl. Though Hojo can proceed with his experiments, it might give us something useful we have not seen until now. Meeting adjourned." He announced, at his command the people left the table and began to depart the room.

* * *

Cloud watched as all the leaders left the room, his eyes darting across the desks. To his disappointment none of them had left behind cards or access codes for the higher levels. Not at least, any that he could see through the wide grid that formed the floor of the air conditioning duct they had crawled inside of.

Avalanche had barely possessed room to move. Barret was alone on one side of the grill, Tifa and Cloud crammed into the other.

"Well we heard him. Aerith is definitely here, somewhere in the tower." Cloud began once he was sure no one was listening in from below.

"Yeah bu' they's got her tight! Also wha' all tha' abou' when he said breeding?" Barret asked.

"He means make her mate with someone or something. Sounds twisted." Tifa interjected, sounding disgusted. "And there's no facilities like that on the floors up to now, so they definitely have her somewhere in the higher levels."

"We's gots ta grab her!" Barret called.

"Calm down!" Cloud ordered suddenly. "We have to think here, regain the initiative somehow. Doubtless the building goes up, but from here on out, access will be heavily restricted. Aside from that group the Turks and maybe Soldier First Class will have their own access, so we can't go up the same way we came."

"Shi'! Ain' there nothin' we's gonna do for her?" Barret bemoaned.

"Hojo mentioned breeding. That means they'll need some heavy duty equipment. To deliver a foetus requires cutting edge surgical tools, maternity cots, incubators. None of this will fit the elevators that we have seen."

"What abou' the one we rode to floor fifty-nine?" Barret intoned, "tha' thin' wuz huge!"

Cloud clicked his fingers. "Yeah, those doors, the wall frames, none of this would get out of the stairwell or the main lifts. That means there's got to be a freight elevator somewhere in the building. If we can find that, then we can find a way to reach Aerith! Let's go!"

* * *

His hair fluttered in the wind, blowing the long silver strands about him constantly, though they did not disturb him in the least. As he stood by the burning garage, he took in the world about him. The monolith still stood high, he could feel the energy calling to him. This was destiny, this was where he could begin again. This was his fate.

The man opened and closed his right palm, the leather gauntlets creaking with the water inside them from the rain. His left had closed tight around the hilt of his weapon, a long curved sword that looked almost unwieldable. A man of foolish dreams awaited at the top, ready to syphon the knowledge sacrificed many years ago. He would not allow that corruption. He would not yield to their power.

"Mother..." He cooed quietly, before he advanced around the rear of the building, past the many guards still cleaning up the crime scene at the foot of the ruler's monolith.


	10. War Criminals

Chapter 10 - War Criminals

The distant humming and whirring of the machines fired his blood. In his head, the figure felt the algorithms and equations balancing themselves out, falling into place like pieces to a near finished puzzle. This was what he lived for. To evolve and change the natural order. For Hojo, science was the sole thing in the world that truly mattered.

His eyes drank in the image behind the frosted glass of the tube. The beast before him was a delightful sight to behold, his very presence the promise of something bigger. The fur of its body was as red and bright as the corona at the edge of the sun. The body was contoured in a similar way to a lion, even possessing a mane, though it was not yet the full bodied mane of an adult, resembling more of a Mohawk in a sense. The fur was jagged and slightly less red in tone than the rest of the body. While the beast's crown had a headdress that possessed multiple feathers and simple jewels that seemed to be a sign of some higher stature of the particular species, the way it was balanced, the way it had been positioned, seemed to suggest that the primitive headdress could be a weapon of some form.

The face was unusual though, almost appearing human, with deep sunken eyes and a chiselled jaw. Staring into the eyes of the creature, Hojo could feel the fury sent from the beast. The edge of the eyeballs possessing a corona of burning emotion, and Hojo didn't doubt that it lusted to get the man, to take its revenge for the loss of its freedom. Hojo smiled and tapped lightly along the tube. It had been that way ever since the capture in the middle continent.

Amusement crawled into his mind as the irony ticked against him. How such a hunter as the beast had become the prey. For the scientist, the existence of this creature itself was a miracle. It was unique, a fable believed to guard some ancient ways. The unit in Gongaga that had spotted the beast had, initially, been treated with great skepticism by Hojo upon hearing their tale. And he had every right to have doubted their word as they had claimed to have spotted a creature that had not existed for over three hundred years.

When the footage appeared however, he knew that _this _was one specimen that could not be allowed to go unstudied. With the assistance of the ground armies he had kept tabs on the beast, learning everything it could. How it hunted. What it ate. Where it roamed. All these things pieced the puzzle together. Three years ago, the study became a practical experiment. In the forest outside Gongaga, his team of trappers had lured the animal in. The rest was history.

"Your physique is unaltered," Hojo crooned at the glass as though talking to an adoring pet rather than a beast that could tear him limb from limb. "Everything about you is perfect. No blemishes, no thinning of the fur, no sign whatsoever of the body withering."

Hojo turned to the plasma screen hanging from the wall, the details of the beast flashing repeatedly. In the fur of the beast they had found remains of creatures that, with the aid of carbon study, proved to be at least a century old. Yet, to look at the specimen would be to believe it was still barely out of adolescence.

"You are the perfect host. The Ancients will be preserved by you, my precious specimen." Hojo turned from the glass, nodded to the camera, before he departed the laboratory to begin the most important phase of his study.

* * *

Thirty long seconds passed, the echoing trail of footsteps clanging as the metal underfloor collided with the rubber boots that the scientist wore. Cloud watched as the man called the freight elevator to the floor, the figure struggled to secure the metal gate of the elevator, before he hit a button and it ascended out of sight.

Cloud whistled softly and they all emerged from behind the boxes. Each had to be at least three feet high and two feet wide. He could not imagine what horrors had been shipped to this floor, but forced those thoughts from his mind. All he needed to know was that Aerith was close by and that he would free her from whatever horror had been planned.

Ahead of him, Tifa had been arrested by the sight of the glass tube. She walked up closely and tapped at the glass. Inside, the beast gave an angry growl, which made her back away with a yelp.

"Why would Hojo have such a wonderful creature here?" She asked with a stammer. No doubt the beast's growl still affected her.

"I dunno. Sick fu' mus' be wantin' t' use the sucker for something," Barret countered with a verbal shrug.

Cloud shook his head. "Hojo mentioned this being a creature that would preserve the Ancients, and in that meeting he mentioned breeding Aerith with something to create a subject that would last the research. Don't need a university doctorate to slot those puzzle pieces together."

Barret slammed his fists angrily. "Well tha' is the sort of shi' tha' really grind' my min' in!"

Cloud felt a prickling sensation at the back of his mind, an itch that grew steadily from a background stinging to a direct syphoning of his life-force. From a slight heat to a red hot burning probe.

He glanced around the floor, desperate to seek what could cause this, knowing that he could not let Hojo's trap capture them now. As his gaze rose and fell by the many objects in the room, his body locked in place as he saw it. The dome was semi-circular, a perfectly rounded shape from the floor. There was a solitary door with multiple valves and pistons securing it tightly.

But it was the light that grasped his attention, like a fly arrested by the smell of decaying matter it needed to feast on for life. The light was a pure pink, softly pushed through a letterbox sized piece of glass. He couldn't help himself, this was his nature, he simply had to know. Calmly he walked the four paces to the strange dome and presses his eyes against the slot.

Her body had a shape that was pure perfection. The hips were full and firm, the breasts that gave life voluptuous and nourishing, her legs long pins that could wrap themselves around a truck. She was true perfection, except for one thing. She was inside out. It was as if her entire skin had been flayed. Instead of seamless skin Cloud's eyes devoured the veins, capillaries and organs that should have been hidden from view.

But the most identifying detail about her was her face, or lack of one. In fact, her whole head was gone, as though someone had cleaved through it and taken it as some sort of prize.

In his head the red hot burning probe grew. Now it felt as if a hand was in the back of his mind, raking at his every emotion, pulling him apart from the inside. His temples burned and instinctively he placed both hands at either side of his head, his palms expanding immediately due to the presence within.

He wanted to scream, he wanted to let out an almighty groan of agony, anything to grant release, anything to set him free. But his vocals chords were numbed, his temples white-hot, his palms gripped tighter than a vice. He tilted his head back, the multiple diodes and lights rebounding painful rays through every orifice of his being.

Cloud shook violently, as if caught at the eye of a dreadful shaking of the earth. He dropped his knees, the joints bounced loudly, and painfully, against the grated floor underneath. He leant forward, his body a violent pulse of raw energy, before he collapsed down the ground.

His bleary eyes slowly began to focus, as if his vision was the disturbed surface of a lake, which slowly settled back to a serene calm as the pebble sank beneath the water. Her red gloved hand constantly waved in front of his face.

"Ugh... How long?" Cloud asked groggily.

"Ya wuz down for abou' two minutes. You'z got somethin' in ya head tha' i' knockin' ya down." Barret answered.

"You're not wrong," Cloud countered. "But the pain, she triggered it. So, after all that happened, they brought her here... But why?"

"Cloud?" Tifa asked nervously. "What do you mean that she triggered it? And who brought who here?"

"Jenova... She... She's here, look for yourself."

"Say wha' punk?"

"Through the window of the dome, Barret, then you'll understand." The mercenary looked on as the bulky figure drooped slightly and pressed his face to the glass. Suddenly the man sprang backwards.

"Wha' tha hell!" He roared. "Where's her fuckin' head! And fuck is she ugly."

Cloud smiled. "There are too many questions. No doubt that with this being here, Hojo has some other plans."

"Could he be thinking of?"

"God Tifa! Jesus I hadn't thought of that! What if this is part of the breeding process? "

"Ain't no time to ponder tha', let's get our asses up there!" Barret shouted before dashing over to the freight elevator and calling it once more to their level. With a loud sound of ratchets cranking and whirring, the platform slammed into place. Cloud and Barret tore the gates open, Tifa dashed on and, once the gate was sealed, she hit the button for the next floor.

As the elevator floated to a stop, Cloud forced a calm he did not feel upon himself. Despite being so close to Aerith and despite knowing what would come; the fact remained that he was in the upper echelons of the Shinra tower, and he could not lose his focus now. Getting busted here would do nothing for her.

Quietly he began to pry open the sliding metal shutter, Tifa bolstered his movement, taking the pressure of the left gate so that they could move it silently ajar. Once the gap was wide enough for one person, Cloud took point. He slithered as if he were a snake, using the shadows at the edge of the room to blend into thanks to his Soldier uniform.

Ahead of him, the room was vast, wide open in terms of structure, but cluttered in terms of content. There was three levels to the room, the first he shared with the scientist, who was stood behind some form of dais that had dials, leds and switches galore. Ahead of the scientist was a wide parallelogram shaped area, at its centre was a colossal cylindrical tube, inside of which was the unconscious form of Aerith.

All around it were more containers and super-computers, Cloud smiled as he saw the multiple avenues of cover it granted them. As he looked to the left of the scientist, he saw a stairwell leading up to the walkway, elevated on a perpendicular line with the tube, was a control room, doubtless where Hojo's lackeys reacted to every command he gave them.

Cloud pointed at himself and then with one finger behind Hojo. He gestured to Barret to utilise the boxes and machines as cover to get to the side of the tube, while Tifa was signalled for the stairs. Patiently Cloud waited in place, as the others made their move. In a heartbeat he had lost visual of Tifa, her vast running experience allowing her to find a climbable pipe far to the left, rendering the stairs useless as a sniping point for the Shinra. Barret meanwhile had done his best to move quietly, his feet had kissed the metal floor a little loudly, but to Cloud's surprise, Hojo had not even flinched at the sound.

"Bring forth the second subject!" Hojo called suddenly.

Cloud listened as the sound of pistons and gears firing into life shattered the silence. He looked on as the tube glowed brighter and then the floor at the centre suddenly parted, providing a view of an inner winch bringing something up from below. Instantly the pieces slammed together in his mind. The tube must be exactly in alignment with the one they had seen on the floor below, and that meant the strange creature was being brought into play.

He darted forwards, unlatching the sword from his back in the process, as he covered the eight metre gap between the scientist and himself. Without a second thought, he raised the sword and held it to the scientist's throat.

"Don't move!" Cloud barked. "We are taking the girl!"

"Hmph! You think such bravado impresses a genius such as I?" Hojo snorted back in response. He looked down his rather long nose at the ex-Soldier despite being perilously close to having his jugular torn over by the point of the Buster sword. "Even if you claim my life, you will not release the girl. The tank has a biometric lock that can only be overruled by either myself or the President! You'd need one of our hands to activate it."

Cloud grinned. "Maybe, but a hand can still be used even if the owners are dead right?" A heavy silence hung in the air at the insinuated threat. "I am sure the souls of the murdered in the slums of Sector Seven would find some solace from such a fitting conclusion."

Ahead of the pair, the gap within the floor was plugged by the emergence of the animal. Instantly it felt threated, Cloud could see in the creature's eyes that the closed glass and solitary human made it feel more like prey than predator. His fears proved correct. The animal's mouth constantly opened wide and long, the glass plugging the sound of what must have been a terrifying roar.

Cloud looked on in horror as the beast began to circle around Aerith, every second of circular stalking feeding the animal's strength, granting the will to believe it was becoming the predator. All the while, for Aerith it appeared to be the opposite. Her eyes were constant flailing wide, her hands shaking like the aftermath of an earthquake. Panicked, she ran to the glass and began banging and scraping, desperate to claw her way free.

"The beast has been deprived of all but food, so it will not eat the specimen." Hojo suddenly interjected across the silence. "It will assess the girl, and make its next move. My hypothesis is that the beast will want some sexual release."

"It's an _animal_!" Cloud roared in anger. "It won't mate with _just_ anything it sees! Only the most perverse of humans attempt to breed with another species! And that never worked either!" His face became more flushed and angered by the second. "And you know, the biometric lock concerned me at first, but your tube is made of glass. Thick, reinforced glass maybe, but glass all the same."

"Wait... What... What do you mean?"

"Barret!" Cloud roared loudly. "Concentrate your fire at glass near the palm scanners. As that ain't glass it will have had some pressure exerted there, creating a potential weak point, flush it out!"

"No don't!" Hojo screamed in horror. Cloud moved the blade barely one millimetre and Hojo, shocked by the threat, fell into line. The ex-Soldier then surprised the man, lifting away the sword and shoving him to the ground. Without bothering to check if the man was conscious or not, he rushed towards the glass, signalling for Aerith to get down.

As if cued by the gestures, Barret stepped beside Cloud and took aim before he locked the muscles of his right arm and released a concentrated salvo. For ten seconds all that could be seen were little chips in the surface of the tube, but, with Cloud roaring him on, Barret kept up the fire, despite his arm burning from the pain of the force going through it.

Five seconds later, the effort paid off, the chips became cracks, which began to widen by the microsecond. As the gap appeared deafening klaxon sounded and the tube was suddenly filled by burning white light. Cloud and Barret both ducked away, screaming in agony at the blinding nature of the beam before them.

With his arms over his eyes, Cloud listened as footsteps sounded to his left, he risked a half-glance and saw the scientist, eyes covered by some form of goggles, walking towards the glass gingerly.

"No... Please... Not after so long. Be safe, my precious specimens." He began to softly tap the glass, almost as if he were drumming some form of lullaby.

From nowhere, a large piston gas sounded and the door of the tube popped outwards and then slid sideways, allowing entry. The white light and gas slowly began to filter away, revealing first the top of the tube, which was undamaged, before the gas continued to flush out.

Cloud looked on frantically, hoping beyond hope for a sign of Aerith. As the gas reached waist height, he heard an animal's roar. He watched Hojo take a step backwards, as the gas slipped even more slightly down the tube. A flash of orange leapt from the tube and the scientist was pitched backwards, landing hard with the animal's paws tightened against his cloak. The beast snarled before ripping a chunk of flesh from the shoulder of the scientist.

Instantly he took the invitation and Cloud darted inside the tube. Seeing that Aerith was laying curled up against the floor, the blonde swordsman coolly placed his arms beneath her and carried her safely beyond the threshold as if she were a babe in arms. As he walked free, he noticed Tifa standing beside Barret and, lying against the multiple containers, were three assistants, all garbed in black like some form of spy unit, their hands firmly held behind their backs thanks to some cable ties.

"Wasn't about to let them run off and make a report," Tifa deadpanned.

Cloud smiled and shook his head. "We have to get out of here."

"How i' she man?" Barret asked, almost in unison with her groan that signalled her return to consciousness.

"I'm... Ok. The animal didn't hurt me," Aerith announced.

_"For that I apologise, but they needed to believe in the experiment for us to be released."_

At the shock speech the group turned around, to be greeted by the sight of the animal sat on its hind legs, mouth wiped clean and eyes soft and cute.

"But... But..." Tifa desperately replied, unable to get her words out.

"But what? I'm an animal?" The creature asked with a chuckle. "Humans are not the only creatures who speak. It is just that I am able to speak the languages of beasts and men."

Cloud nodded. "Well... Err... Thank you. If you hadn't made your move, I wouldn't have known what to do."

"Yeah Cloud! Some bodyguard you figure, standing and watching as an animal came towards me to eat."

Cloud's eyes widened in disbelief, Aerith held a hand under her chin. "I'm kidding! I wasn't sure if you were even going to get this far."

Barret shook his head. "Lis'en up punk! Take i' from me, women don' ge' any easier to understand. Hell, my ol' woman Myrna always confuse' me!"

Cloud nodded. "I'll bear that in mind." He turned to the animal. "What's your name?"

The creature snorted angrily, almost indignant. "My name can only spoke by the tribe. Hojo gave me the name Red XIII, a name of zero meaning or honour. Name me as you wish."

"Ok, for now then, we'll just call you Red. In the meantime, I'm tired of this place, so I suggest we get out of here." Cloud announced.

Tifa shrugged her shoulders. "We're a big group Cloud. It isn't going to be easy to slip free."

Cloud nodded. "You're right, but this tower is a maze and I don't want us over-exposed in case we get lost. Main thing we want to do is avoid the elevators. That'll be the easiest way to keep us pinched."

"So what's the plan?" Aerith interjected.

"We take the stairs. Once we reach the sixty-first floor, we can transfer to the service route used by the janitors and catering staff. Up here is way too restricted thanks to the cards."

The group nodded, seemingly unanimous in their agreement. "Be on your guard, anything is possible, let's move!" At his order, the group disembarked the floor leaving the science personnel to their fates.

* * *

Despite the assault against the science division, the group encountered very little resistance during their descent. One sentry had enquired as to why such a large group were on the move, but Cloud's swift tongue explained that Aerith and Red were high value targets that were being relocated to a lesser known floor for their own safety.

Naturally the group had been ready for a battle but the sentry took their explanation at face value and had instead waved them past floor sixty-five. That had been ten minutes previously but they remained on their guard. Just because one sentry had said it was fine, didn't mean they were out of the clear just yet, and Cloud was wise to remember that not all agencies reported to the same place, or possessed the same definition of what was allowed and what wasn't.

Now though, on the last stairwell leading to floor sixty-one, he felt more assured and led the group on at pace. Once through the doors they would serenely make their way through sixty-first floor and then on to a quiet escape.

"Cloud!" Tifa screamed suddenly.

He pirouetted to find her and Barret staring at a group of Shinra armed forces, no fewer than thirty in number. Without uttering a word, he began to descend the stairs, hoping they could all make it and seal the bar. From there they'd find a new plan. He heard a repeated clanging of an object landing behind him on the stairs.

"Everybody duck down and stare at the floor!"

Swiftly he dropped to one knee, stared towards the ground, his elbow covering his eyes. Behind him he heard a female scream then fall. As the effect of the flashbang grenades began to clear, he turned back to see Aerith lay on the ground unconscious. All sense of cold and calculated escape fled his mind, and he desperately began to claw his way towards her, his sword cleaving through the throat of one guard and then backhanded across the face of another, both men having the temerity to bar his path.

As he neared her, his peripheral vision caught the sight of a rising foot. Instinctively he threw out his right fist, the thick spiked armlet deflecting the blow. He attempted to raise his blade, but a fist slammed into his stomach, and a repeated clicking sound of rifles being locked into place took over his mind.

"Bravo!" A soft voice suddenly crooned, he looked upwards to find himself staring firstly into the eyes of the bald figure that downed him, and then the slightly metrosexual demeanour of a figure who must have been his boss. The dark blue suits making it clear they were from the Turks.

"How?" Cloud uttered between gasps for air.

"How did we find you?" The man replied casually, as if speaking to someone at a dinner party. "Well now that was the easy part, in no small thanks to you. Why, you played note perfect from the score we crafted for this evening."

"Cloud! What the hell is thi' jackass goin' on abou'!" Barret retorted.

"Well Mr Corte, surely such an answer is not befitting a potential contractee," The Turk responded smoothly, deliberately glaring at both Cloud and Tifa. "Did you honestly think we wouldn't be suspicious of someone looking like him, being addressed by you as some obscure meaningless name? Why, the man told us a member of Soldier, who disobeyed protocol of wearing the helmet at all times, revoked his access merely because he criticised the man's complicity with Shinra protocol. All the pieces fit."

"If you knew, then why not get us earlier?" Tifa cut in.

"Ah now Tifa, that is where I truly showed my class. Have you ever heard of a red flag operation?" He read the confusion in her looks and smiled. "Of course not. A simple runner like you was never intelligent, just swift." He added contemptuously. "Well, in a nutshell, it is where a ruling government deliberately attack their own facilities and people in order to push through changes to law. This was very similar. We deliberately let you attack the science project and take the girl in order for us to flush you into a choke point."

"What about... The research?" Cloud asked between shallow breaths of air.

"Yes indeed, you heard it all didn't you? Hiding in that ventilation shaft, how did you all not puke? The smell of decaying fecal matter, body odour, rats droppings... Your stomaches must be made of mythril." He paused to clear his throat. "Well anyway, yes, the science research, 120 years or so is of no use to us, so with the President's permission, we deliberately let you sabotage it. No doubt Hojo will fly off the handle when he learns how his samples were contaminated and so forth, but that is a problem for another day. Now, we have wasted enough time."

Cloud smirked. "You think that we would..." He stopped mid-sentence and leapt to his feet, ready to attack, only to feel the heel of a foot crash against his chin and lift him off the ground. Seconds later, a double fisted blow to the chest forced him back at an alarming speed and he impacted the wall behind him with enough forced to send him skidding to the ground without resistance on his part. His dazed mind played tricks on his vision, distorting all he could see, before kind darkness swamped him, and dragged him from consciousness.

* * *

His groggy eyes parted slowly, presenting him with a foggy and dazed view of the outside world. He was barely moving, his two feet failing to find a consistent rhythm, whilst an arm was supporting him from the back. He glanced to his left and took in the blurry view of the one responsible, his bald glistened as the multiple arclights above them sent rays down to kiss it.

"Ugh... Where am I?" Cloud asked groggily.

"Floor sixty-nine." The man at his side retorted.

"Why here?"

"President's orders." The figure answered swiftly.

With that, all conversation died. Cloud was grateful for it, because this was a time to be calm and calculated. He remembered the rules from the manual. At some point, an operative would be captured. Until the captors played their hand and revealed their intention, the manual clearly stated that an operative should occupy their minds away from the immediate situation.

Cloud therefore reviewed his Intel. The capture had taken place at the heart of the enemy's stronghold and as a result this weakened any chance of external support. Even if he was still an active member of Soldier, he wouldn't have been pinning his hopes on any form of supported extraction. Instead, he began to filter the situation down. In the stairwell he had tried to fight, but he had been beaten, though not too seriously.

He doubted that it had even been days since the attack. The fact he was also heavily shackled from behind told him that he had not been recuperating in a field hospital after surgery. That meant the Shinra needed him to be able to operate the most basic motor functions unassisted. In the manual, that meant one of two things. It either meant a captive was to be thrust into some survival battle, or that the captor wanted the captive to be seen by a crowd as an important prize they could do what they wanted with.

Cloud pinned his bets on the latter option. Even with the fighter who downed him at his side, Cloud, when given green light to fight for survival, would be lethal. The Shinra would know this from his personnel file, couple that with the natural martial arts skills of Tifa, the untapped potential of Aerith, the brutal savagery of Barret and the total unknown of Red; and the Shinra knew they would be sitting on a powder keg if they opted for some form of combat ritual.

Satisfied with the review of his intel, Cloud fixed his next option on getting lay of the land. He was one floor above where Aerith had been rescued and a twinge of irony bit him at that point. Tseng had been right. The Shinra had orchestrated that entire move themselves.

The world of the upper floors was open, just off the stairwell, Cloud could see a vast open plan office, that must have contained at least one hundred desks. All were unoccupied, thus he concluded that the time was past midnight, when even the most determined of suck-up called it a night. The floor had a beautiful red carpet that extended all the way along.

Suddenly though, his attention was grasped by the office he was walked into, from the top of the internal stairwell. Floor Seventy, the Presidential floor, was nothing like what he expected. In any government, the most prestigious office usually reflected its importance, with the equipment and interior it possessed.

But his eyes feasted on a soulless gun-metal grey floor that extended all the way across. A metallic Shinra emblem was at the heart of the room, while the only furniture was a large single seater console that faced the stairs he had walked off. At the seat sat the President himself. Despite his love of expensive garments to wear to the office, the office itself mattered nothing to him, it seemed.

Just as he prepared himself for the President to speak, he heard the pistons of three doors release, he risked a glace to his right, to see Barret and Red being walked to the heart of the floor. Barret had his arms placed inside imposing restraints that had no chains or visible space, almost like they had been moulded around his arms while Red had thick ankle chains to both sets of legs, and a very tight collar around his neck. As he looked left, Cloud saw Tifa being walked up, in similar restraints to himself.

"Heh... I thought I was alone and that I'd distracted them," he quipped as he scanned the room. "Where's Aerith?" He called out to the President, once he was certain that she was not amongst them.

"Oh she's safe. Do not be concerned about that," the President answered, his voice oily and nauseating to hear. "I gather you know that she's an Ancient? Extraordinary people, their bloodline has existed for thousands of years, some believe longer than humans."

The figure paced out from around the desk, and immediately two members of the Turks flanked him on either side. Cloud wanted to chuckle, the Shinra truly believed that any of the group would be able to break free with such speed. It was almost flattering.

"Though nothing would have such legacy as the creature Hojo wanted to mate her with," the President continued, Cloud heard an angry growl come from the beast. "Such is the nature of an animal, always barking and growling when its master does not follow what it wants."

"Get to the point," Cloud suddenly cut in. Ahead of him the President gasped in shock. "What? Did you expect me to grovel? You got us, and you dragged us here. Tell us why and then we can get some sleep." To his side Barret grinned though Cloud ignored the silent approval of his comrade and remained focused on his target.

"Interesting that you would have such a line of thought," the President countered once he'd regained his composure. "For all the fireworks and bloodletting that you have been involved in, I'd have thought you'd have wanted this conversation to last forever. Clearly there is more to you than meets the eye." The President stepped forward, so that merely five paces separated them. "Though how much of that is the man and how much the Solider?"

Cloud shrugged as best he could, given his bonds. "It doesn't really matter."

"Indeed not, so to answer your obvious question, why aren't you dead? I had more than enough guards and ammunition to take you all out. So you must be wondering why I didn't take the dog out back and pull the trigger?" The President left the question hanging, which irritated Barret by the second. Cloud lightly shook his head. "Well the answer is simple. A death during an assault is too good for you. You go on ad nauseum about how the Shinra is destroying this world and how evil we are. If I ordered you dead, I create martyrs. That is not how we work."

Cloud smiled. "You have to do better than that. With all the spin you have on the media and public I really doubt that image would have lasted long."

"Oh this is refreshing!" The President replied whilst clapping. "Fabulous! I do wish we'd had the opportunity to duel earlier. You truly are a magnificent opponent!" He settled softly into his head and cleared his throat. "But in this you are correct. I do have a bigger reason. Why, you're the enemy of the state. You have bombed reactors, killed guards and decimated all faith in the government." His eyes narrowed. "But more importantly, you committed genocide against the people of Sector Seven."

"Bullshit!" Barret suddenly shouted. "Total and utter bullshit! We's di' not'in' to those people! You wuz the one tha' order' tha' Turk to bomb the pillar! We's the only thin' that tried to stop you!"

"Restrain him!" Tseng suddenly shouted.

The President laughed. "And now you accuse me of this horrible act? Where do you get the gall to be so callous? You should stand up and take responsibility for your actions."

"Oh irony how nice a friend you are," Tifa cut in sarcastically.

"What are you trying to say girl?" The President thundered. Cloud smiled, the ruse had worked, and now she was under his skin, she had to make him squirm.

"You want us to take responsibility for our actions? Now let me see..." She suddenly began to flick her eyes left and right ponderously. "Oh yes! When we launched our attack on reactor five, who was it again that appeared _after_ we'd set the bomb and even _thanked_ us for giving them the platform to address the public? Oh this is torturous... I hate forgetting names..."

A fist slammed at the command table suddenly. "Enough! Your impudence will not be accepted! Know this! You are to remain prisoners of the tower until we try you for the crimes you have committed against humanity! The public shall delight in your suffering! Guards! Take them to the cells!" Before any of the group could react, the clicking of twenty rifles sounded, and their handlers wrangled them away from the most powerful man in Midgar.

* * *

His powerful eyes had been trained on the terrorists as they were dragged away. The figure of Barret, the simpleton with the fury of a tsunami, had been constantly struggling to break free and come after him. The President smiled, he could not take their courage from them, but he could take everything else.

"A dangerous enemy, sir," the deep voice of Reeve called as he walked in from the conference room to the side.

"Not anymore. Now they are imprisoned here, what threat do they pose?" He countered swiftly at his subordinate.

Reeve rolled his eyes. "With all due respect, Mr President, that conversation would have been a trial breaker. We're lucky you decided to have a dress rehearsal here. Were it not for Barret, I would advise that you need a lawyer with real tone and control."

The President's eyes narrowed angrily. "What are you implying Reeve? Need I remind you that _I_ am the _President?_"

"No, Mr President, I fully understand with whom I am speaking." He suddenly walked three paces closer to the presidential desk. "However, as one of the heads of public safety maintenance, I am entrusted, by you, to provide a frank and accurate appraisal of all scenarios. In this one, I must apologise in advance, but Avalanche got the better of you."

"You intrigue me, Reeve. Explain yourself." The President's response was cool as he watched for the lack of composure in the man opposite. He was disappointed.

"When Cloud and Tifa were speaking, they were able to rile you, put you on the defensive. Cloud with his casual disregard of formal overture, and Tifa with her almost natural and seamless sarcasm. They were directed at you and you responded exactly how they wanted you to. The only person who looked ill-affected by your outburst at all was yourself."

Reeve stepped closer to the desk. "We all know what _really_ happened with Sector Seven, and the public are not fools. If you truly want to rewrite history, you have to be prepared for some very heavy digging and lots of mud getting thrown over you."

"Very well, Reeve," the President replied after a long pause, "I shall think on what you say, in the meantime. I asked you before to take some leave once this episode was over, with the insight you have provided, I believe your role here is accomplished. Take a company cellphone with you, just in case we have to abort your leave unexpectedly."

He watched as Reeve bowed before him and departed. The man was servile and functional, but he was also able to read insightfully and advise without let or fear. The President sensed he was dangerous, and knew such a man could only prove an asset for a short-term period. How short-term was privy to his sole whim...

* * *

The cell was tiny in his mind.

It could barely have been ten feet long and six feet wide, built as a temporary waypoint for prisoners captured in the tower. The walls were a dull grey and the floor completely concrete. The only furniture in the room was a toilet pan built into the floor. There wasn't even a bed in this cell.

Barret tried his hardest to calm himself, but all he could think about was Marlene. He had held her for barely an hour, precious time, joyous time, but ultimately, time that had slipped away. He trusted the woman, Elmyra, and knew that she would have moved on. He'd told her how it was too dangerous and that they should get out of Midgar.

But now he was trapped in the Shinra tower. At the meeting with the President he had wanted to tear the man's throat out with his teeth. He couldn't understand the evil of the man. Blaming what happened in Sector Seven on him and the rest of Avalanche was the final straw and so he had reacted, struggled against the grip of the guards, desperate to get his man. In hindsight, he should have swallowed his rage, but it was not in his nature.

As he looked across the cell, he took in the vision of the animal he was placed with. The creature Red was a silent thing, though he could tell it was not an attempt at being aloof that caused this. No, it was more than likely that the beast was having difficulty being open and trusting. Barret could understand that, because not only was it now associated with a group of terrorists, but also because his fellow prisoner was a human, and Red had spoken of being abused by humans for years. The song he had gently cooed whilst curled against the wall spoke that louder than any speech.

"So wha' you aimin' for?" Barret asked conversationally.

"How do you mean?" Red answered softly as he raised his head up from the floor.

"Well, after we ge' outta here! Wha' you hopin' to do?"

Red sighed and his head swung to the left. "My people are thousands of miles from here. I have not seen them in years. I really wish to return to them."

"I know that feeling," Barret answered through a sigh. "Where's you from anyway?"

"A place called Cosmo Canyon," was the response he received. "It is a primitive world to most humans, far less technology and consumer goods there. It is truly the home of my spirit."

Barret nodded. "I can relate to tha' too. I wuz from a mining settlement. A real dusty place, real old school. But we wuz happy and life wuz good. Nothin' remains of i' now, all lost."

"I am sorry to have caused you pain human," Red apologised. "Please forgive me."

Barret shook his head. "Hell no! Don' be apoloisin' for somethin' you ain' invol'ed wit'! I know what caused tha' shitstorm. One day, I'll make i' right. For now though, I guess we just gotta wait."

"Does your leader have a plan?"

Barret chuckled. "You know somethin'? Avalanche, the little group that got Shinra chasing their tails? It was _my_ group. Cloud was just a mercenary Tifa recommended for a mission. I wuz the one giving the orders, leading from the front."

He sighed suddenly. "But you're right. Cloud truly acts like a leader should. He sees shi' I wouldn't even dream of, plans moves that totally knocked the wind outta my sails. So yeah, to give you an answer, I bet he does. Shame he's not in this 'ere cell to go over it wit' us."

"Well, if he is all you say, I am sure he will get a message to us at some point."

Barret watched as the beast lay his head down over his back legs and began to drift off to sleep. He wanted to chuckle at the way this creature talked all this deep stuff, then just put his head down and went to sleep.

He began to look at the door, immediately he saw all the pistons were on the opposite side. There wasn't even a key code panel on his side, it meant there was no way to control it from in here. He thought back to his admission, and felt a weight lift off his shoulders. His pride had wanted him to forever be leader, but now he realised who the true leader was, he found he could focus on doing the job at hand for Avalanche. Out of moves for the moment, he decided to follow Red's lead, by trying to get some sleep.

* * *

The faces slipped into and out of his mind as he strained to hear her call. She was here, he knew it. He could feel it with every fibre of his being. A movement to his right distracted him and he swiped his blade out, severing the enemy's jugular in one movement. He walked forwards, and heard the sound of clicking firearms.

He smirked and made a fist with his hand, turning the blade so it crossed behind his back from left to right. About his body, he could feel the energy of the world arising, closing in upon his fist tightly. He looked as the enemy all began to twitch their trigger fingers. With a cruel smile he thrust his hand outwards.

The room began to shake violently and uncontrollably. A large fissure formed in the centre and panicked guards swayed as their balance was torn asunder. He pounced, within seconds he was amongst them. His blade danced and twirled violently through the air, kissing jugulars and severing limbs as if they were made from paper.

The brutal dance lasted for thirty seconds, before he looked upon the area and saw the ten bodies in his wake. A brutal bloody smear formed a trail at his rear, as he looked down, he could see that the long leather trench coat had been dipped in the blood of his enemy as he walked on through the carnage and the suffering.

Bliss. He could feel it, drink it in with every breath he took. The clinical and surgical environment of the sixty-seventh floor had been destroyed, replaced by a carnal and primal aura of fear and death. This was his high, this was what he lived for.

In that moment he felt a mind touch his, panicked he raised his sword and darted his eyes, desperate to seek the new threat. Yet, despite all attention he paid to the shadows, he could see nor hear a soul. In the flesh he was alone, in his mind he was joined. Some life form touched him, and he cooed joyfully. It must be her. Mother was calling to him.

Carelessly he danced down the tiny narrow hallway, one guard leapt from his post, but before the man could spring a defence, he had swiped the blade once more, slicing the man's torso from his legs. Ignoring the corpse, he walked on, the presence grew ever stronger. Delighted he saw the lock of the middle cell and sliced at the wiring gas pistons whirred into life, and the door wound backwards.

As he looked inside, the joy turned to pain, a searing agony crunched behind his eyes, smashing his senses like a sledgehammer. The blonde figure was familiar, he knew this man, flashes of white light smote his vision, and the world was no longer his own. He was stood with two men, one with long black hair, the other auburn. Each held swords, like himself, the man with the black hair holding the sword of the man he saw in the cell, while the second had a blade as rusty coloured as his hair.

_"Beauty in misery, is the gift of the goddess..._" He heard the auburn warrior purr as he read from a book.

Fresh pain lanced his mind and he fled the cell, back down the corridors and away from the influence. Without regard for what lay ahead, he darted into the wide room, and instantly the pain ceased. He could feel a gentle and caring soul reach out to him, soothing the pain, dampening down the fires in his mind.

He looked up and saw the dome shaped container. It was here, the epicentre of his joy, the heart of his ecstasy. As he peered into the glass he saw the beautiful veins of her form, the voluptuous breast that as a child he had suckled on, the long soft arms that had cradled him all those years ago.

"Mother..." He began with a short breath, his emotions too much to hold in. The sheer presence of her and the thought of being reunited filled him with life more than anything else in the world could. He tugged at the handle of the door, but it did not give, he shoulder-barged it, kicked it, but the barricade would not budge.

Angered he stepped backwards and pulled loose his sword again. He held it out straight, his stance similar to a rifleman who stared down the sight of a rifle. With a cry of agony and pain, he ran forwards and thrust the blade at the hinge. The force behind the blade forced the metal to split. He twisted the blade to its side, and the extra pressure forced it ajar.

The security of the pod reacted instantly, the unequal pressure forced it to release the lock. He stepped inside, covering his eyes from the harsh pink light of the antechamber. He slashed at the vile cables and brackets that held her prisoner. He could feel her power, even though he could not see her smile.

_"Take me, my son. We must break the cycle, they wish to take the Promised Land of my people. We must not allow it, we must take back what is ours. Carry me, and when we are free, I shall divide to be carried by the hands of the disciples, the reunion begins._"

Her voice faded out but his purpose was clear. The men must be stopped from taking the land of his Mother, he would not allow them to defile it. With the remains under one arm, he carried her free of the prison and marched up the tower once more.

* * *

The harsh surface of the wall made sleep uncomfortable. He tossed against the wall, turning as little as possible to avoid hitting his head. Sleep would not come, not in the full dream state he sought anyway. He raised his head and opened his eyes. As he looked about him, he could see a green glow above him. As he craned his neck, he saw that it was the light above the entrance, which was empty, the door wide open.

Instantly alert he leapt to his feet and carefully closed the gap, once there he lay down flat on his stomach. His training had always told him that when captured, it was important to occupy your mind until a negotiation for your release is made or you are able to manipulate the environment and escape yourself. When a locked door is suddenly unlocked and there is no sign of guard duty, you can be almost certain that it is being setup as a trap.

Just because it is a trap, does not mean it should not be assessed as an opportunity, traps are only successful if the target is willing to step into the heart of what makes it work. For Cloud, this meant knowing exactly what he was up against. The marble floor outside the cells provided him with a mirror view of the world about him.

The metal walls also meant he could use their reflection in conjunction to see around the corner of the cell corridor. To his surprise he saw no guards active. It had to be too good to be true, no one goes from being the biggest scalp to the easiest escapee. Not without substantial help, and since Avalanche had no such allies, he was inclined to believe all the more it was a trap.

He shook his head and focused, the immediate vicinity appeared to be clear, that meant he could at least scout ahead. He smiled, a strong warrior was one who planned ahead and had all his plans ready to be deployed should one fall south. But sometimes one had to improvise.

He risked movement and dashed from the cell, cutting left and right to prevent any gun turrets getting an easy lock. As he made it to the end of the first corridor, no shots had been fired. he turned ninety degrees to his left to see a similar corridor, only at his feet, was a corpse, torn clean in half. He reached down and inevitably felt no pulse.

On the guard's belt was a ring of key cards, he fished them swiftly to his care and saw they were for all the rooms on the corridor.

"Tifa wake up!" He called as he got back to the cell, he watched as she groggily came to life. "No time for that, come on!"

"Cloud?" She announced as she looked up at him. "What the hell are you doing? Do you know what time it is?"

His eyes narrowed. "That's not important, we have a break, the cell door was broken open. get Aerith and the others then meet me at the corridor's end." He handed her the cards for the cells, before he darted across the hall to the impounded goods cell. He swiped the card and grabbed the three backpacks they had brought with them, as well as his sword and Aerith's cudgel.

"Cloud, wha' the hell i' goin' on?" Barret announced while he was walking back into the corridor.

"Good question Barret, and one that I don't have an easy answer for." He paused and looked at the others, ensuring he had their full attention. "Right now we find ourselves in-between two possibilities. The first is that the Shinra have been ultra-cunning and sacrificed members of this floor, so that we can attempt an escape, all so their profile of us being genocidal war criminals is enhanced."

"What's the other one Cloud?" Aerith asked softly.

"The second is more mysterious, that someone intervened. How, why or when I have no idea, and that is what worries me. Tifa and I had our cell left wide-open, we were unarmed and completely out of it. Very easy target, why leave us alive?" He left it hanging, watching them all nod in agreement. "If someone is out for us, they had the chance, so right now I have no idea how this has happened, but we'd be fools if we let this one slip through our fingers."

"So what's the plan?" Tifa asked.

"Barret." Cloud announced while looking at him. "You're the only one here with a long-range weapon. That means that you'll have to be our rear-guard, once we know an area is clear, lock it down and move forward, means any support can't surprise us."

"You go' i'!" He replied enthusiastically.

"Red. I don't doubt that you have a very keen sense of smell and an ability to read trails. Therefore, you lead slightly from the front, find the trail and point it out, we'll follow in your tracks. Aerith and Tifa, you stay with me, we might have to suddenly leap into a fighting position so the closer we are, the easier that is." Everyone nodded. "We follow the trail and find out what is going on. Then, if all goes well, we get out of here... Let's go!" He announced, as the group moved out of the corridors and back into the heart of the new god.


	11. Nightflight

Chapter 11: - Nightflight

Cloud's eyes took in the carnage of the world he thought he knew. With a pupil set either side of his glaive, he was unable to avert his gaze. Many hours before, the floor had been a quiet and controlled laboratory. An environment of total conformity to regulation and code, with numerous checks and balances set in place, all aimed at eradicating any extraneous variables to the studies conducted.

Now it was the opposite. The world was beset by entropy and chaos, with all sense of order disregarded like the carcass of a bird at the roadside. So far he had witnessed at least seven corpses, all of them bearing terrible wounds, from horrific long gashes of the chests to the loss of limbs and heads.

"This is _horrible_!" Aerith cried whilst walking alongside him. "It reminds me of the stories mother used to tell me, where a wolf would enter the henhouse and feast on all it could catch."

Cloud nodded. "I can agree with that, the people here were like lambs to the slaughter. _That's_ what worries me. Red, what have you picked up?"

The animal sniffed twice at the air. "My senses are flooded with multiple scents. But there is one that has constant forward movement. I think the attacker went through this way."

Cloud looked beyond the creature and saw that the scent was leading the group towards the containment vessel for Jenova. A sudden panic came to his senses and swiftly he marched forward, only to see his fears confirmed. The domed chamber still existed, but the heavy gas piston door had been ripped off, and the dome itself had been pillaged of all organic life.

"Whoever it was has taken her," Cloud announced.

"Wha' sort of sick fu' woul' wanna snatch somethin' like her for?" Barret queried while keeping his eyes on the rear trail.

"If that was the attacker's endgame," Tifa chimed in suddenly, "then how come there's no guard platoon locking down the floor?"

Cloud's eyes narrowed. "Whoever, or whatever, has done all this must have gone up. If Jenova is one high-profile target, I can think of one much bigger up top." The group all nodded swiftly. "Take the stairwells. We need to know if the Presidential floor has been breached."

* * *

The return to the floor had been taken at a slow pace. Cloud, forever watchful and cautious, had forced the group to cover all angles on the stairwells. Each step tested for hidden booby traps and hideaways that the enemy could exploit to surprise them.

Thus it was some thirty minutes later that the group had reached the corporate floor. Having not been conscious on the first trip to this area, Cloud had surveyed what he could about the place. On the side of the door was a plaque fashioned from silver. Underneath the floor number were numerous sub-divisions. Human resources, IT Support and Colleague engagement were just a handful of those listed.

Cloud relaxed slightly, this meant that the sixty-ninth floor of the building was an office environment. More than that, it was a modern office environment. Unlike the first offices that had been built nearly two centuries prior, the modern office floor was open plan. Many ugly stantions supported the ceiling, but these had been decorated with wallcharts and ambient lighting to soften their appearance.

Shinra, it seemed, had wanted an environment of work that mirrored the environment of Midgar itself, that of a surveillance society where privacy was anathema. Cloud looked at the double doors that signalled entry to the floor, and he could almost hear the phones ringing, the printers buzzing and voices chattering at the many demands the workforce were forced to endure. But in reality, beyond those doors was silence.

As Tifa and Barret opened the entryway and led point through, the environment was altogether more sinister. When he had last seen the floor, Cloud had noted how even the most ardent suck up had clocked off for the night. He had been wrong, badly wrong. The terminals all blinked lifelessly as no commands were inputted, while at least twenty staff members lay eviscerated in the environment that was practically a second home.

Cloud steeled himself and followed the pair through the threshold ahead of him. The corpses had been gutted like fish in a market, and he averted his gaze from the features of each individual, treating them as a cadaver rather than a person. Thus he noted how the enemy had been thorough in the execution of those who barred the way.

"Whoever is responsible sure did their homework. They utilised the Shinra's number one code against them." Cloud announced, shattering the deathly silence.

"Wha' tha' then?" Barret asked in reprisal.

"It's a code of survival that all members of the military received, and in it were numerous guides to the execution of tactics and missions. The greatest code of the Shinra was simple." He cleared his throat, "_leave nothing living. Only the living seek revenge or spread the deadly net of knowledge._ The iron code of the extermination mission, a code used to eradicate an enemy stronghold."

"Wha' if the enemy's jus' some street kids?"

"Leave _nothing_ living," Cloud replied coldly. "I'm not proud of what the Shinra have done, but I know their methods. Luckily my missions were concentrated predominantly in the clean-up of the Wutai war."

"Cloud..." Tifa began uneasily. "What 'clean up' did you have to do?"

"It doesn't matter now. _None_ of it matters. Let's just move on," he barked swiftly as he began to walk away. In his head he could feel an itching, something clawing to the front. He could feel the agony rising and did all he could to stop it from manifesting into another onslaught. It was enough that he was here. It was enough that he was playing his part against the Shinra. _The past is dead_! He urged to himself, before he got to the stairwell.

Part of him wondered why the Presidential suite had no private elevator. To him, it made no sense for the most powerful man in all of Midgar to have to trudge through a floor of underlings. He shook his head of the curiosity and drew his blade. Whatever the reason may have been, it had delayed his attacker's approach, and therefore, there was a chance Cloud was leading everyone into the room, only to be arrested along with the unknown assailant.

Cautiously he advanced upon the top of the stairwell, then dropped to his stomach and raised the tip of his sword to the air, angled so that it was barely visible from the floor above him, but granted a reflection of the area. The gun-metal grey floor was stained by blood and innards, and no movement shone on his weapon. He took a deep breath and leapt to his feet, rushing up to the floor with his weapon raised.

He was greeted by a heavy silence, punctured only by the footsteps of his fellow warriors as they ascended the steps behind him. He walked forward to see the President bolt upright in his seat. But the eyes of the man had closed, and his thick red robe had large dark patches where blood had soaked the fibres.

Cloud watched as Aerith rushed behind the circular Presidential table and touched two fingers to the President's throat, she shook her head softly.

"He's dead," she called calmly.

"What do you see about his body?" Cloud asked swiftly.

"The President has been stabbed once. The tract of the wound is unusual, it is curved in a sharp sweep. His back was punctured between the shoulder blades and through the heart and chest. One unbroken stab, clinical, almost _surgical_."

Cloud felt his brow burn with sweat. "Aerith, how far was he standing from the body when he attacked? Can you tell me?" He asked nervously, fearing what the answer could hold.

Aerith glanced around before she nodded once. "The blood spatter is drawn very far back, almost to the glass of the windows. The President was stabbed from behind. Cloud, I have always been in awe at the size of your weapon, but the one responsible for this would have been even longer."

"I can't believe it!" Tifa shouted suddenly. "There's no _way_ this can be true. You can't seriously believe this, can you Cloud?

Cloud nodded. "Aerith has no reason to lie, especially about this. I can't believe I'm about to announce what I am, but there's only one person that I know of who has ever managed to handle such a weapon on such a way. Sephiroth."

The word was spoken in a whisper that was accompanied with a heavy breath, almost as though the admission had been made under duress of torture. The other's watched him, the widening of the eyes showing their knowledge of the man, the shake of the head betraying disbelief, though he knew it to be true. It was the only explanation, the only way that this could have possibly happened.

"Sephiroth?" Barret followed curiously. "I heard the name years ago, but I heard that he wuz dead, right?"

"I really don't know Barret. None of this makes any sense. I don't understand why he has appeared now, and why _here _of all places? What is...?" He paused suddenly as a large plant moved in the far right of the room. Swiftly he signalled with three fingers to his right, Tifa instantly took up flank while Cloud went along the middle.

No sooner had the group taken three steps towards the plant when it moved. The leaves thrust apart heavy-handedly by the figure who had been concealed behind it. Cloud looked on as Tifa ran up to a chair and spring-boarded from it. The figure, who comically ran for the door, covered barely six feet of ground, before Tifa slammed into the back of him, shoving the figure to the floor. With barely half-second passing by, Cloud was stood over the figure, with Tifa's arm tightly wrapped across his throat.

"Seems we have a survivor," Cloud began conversationally. "Remarkable, truly remarkable... Did you know that the man who did this is somewhat a legend? Well known for always following the first rule to the letter, the odds of your survival must have been about five hundred thousand to one. Unbelievable that you succeeded."

"Don't... Don't hurt me." The figure called between breaths.

"Co-operate with us and hopefully we won't have to. Tell us what you saw before we arrived... Palmer." Cloud asked menacingly, the figure before him gasped and he smiled. "Did you honestly think I wouldn't remember you from the meeting where Hojo was talking of his vile plans for Aerith and Red? Now, I remember you looking forward to a rate hike in the coming future. Well, how much of that rate hike you pocket as a kickback will depend on how much useful information you give us!"

"Ok! Ok! I understand!" Palmer replied pleadingly, his head bobbing up and down like a boggle-head. "A lot of what you have already said is the case. I was about to deliver a report on the movement of supplies to the President and was waiting in the meeting room over there, when all of a sudden _he_ just walked in. The President had remained on the floor and at least thirty guards barricaded the stairwell. He had been pleaded with to evacuate, but the President wouldn't give up..."

"Cut the crap! What happened with the President?" Cloud ordered angrily.

"Alright, alright!" Palmer whimpered. "Sephiroth cut his way through the guard platoon and stood in front of the President. When asked why he had attacked the Shinra, Sephiroth told him that the Shinra sought to capture the Promised land and that he wouldn't allow it. The President tried to reason with him, advising him that it was not for the Shinra but for everyone, and that he would be heavily rewarded if he came back to them, but then he just… _murdered_ him."

"I see... Then that means the President did not activate the general alarm did he?" Cloud replied.

Palmer shook his head. "No, _I_ did." Tifa's arm tightened. "It was to save lives!" He screamed as her grip tightened.

Cloud signalled for it to slacken. "Whatever the reason something doesn't add up. The President sits here as Sephiroth guts his men and ransacks his building? That doesn't seem likely. The fact that he did it alone even less so. Where are the other members of the committee? Heidegger, Scarlet, Reeve... Where did they all go?" Cloud thundered.

"They were ordered to lock down the upper plate. After you lot got in, President Shinra wanted the streets locked down in case any sympathisers planned to surprise us with the main scalp caught."

Cloud smiled. "Well how ironic. By doing that, it allowed the strongest enemy access."

"_Not ironic. Merely what he deserved!_" A voice suddenly chimed in.

Cloud scanned the room and could see no one. Confused, he looked back at the others who were also completely baffled by this sudden interference.

"Where is that coming from?" Cloud shouted to Palmer.

"I... I don't... Know!" He protested.

"_He is correct. Only those of the Shinra line use this communication._"

Ahead of the group, one of the window panels suddenly darkened and out of nowhere a face was projected at them. The face was angular, with narrow, almost cat-like eyes that had deep blue pupils. The figure's hair was a dirty blonde that had grown to a length which allowed him to formulate odd comb-over spikes, some strands of which hovered perilously close to his eyeballs. Cloud looked closely at the figure but could not recognise him, the black waistcoat and grey overcloak the he sported, provided no further insight either.

"Who are you?" Tifa asked suddenly.

"_I am the successor, the most powerful man in Midgar, Rufus Shinra._"

"Rufus!" Barret roared in shock. "Tha' ol' man had a _son_!"

"_How gratifying that none of you knew of me. It was all part of the plan of course. The successor is not to be known, it means that no one can try to pre-empt the manner of which a rule is implemented. Now, I have not received a full brief, but I imagine you are the group that caused my late father so much trouble. Tell me of yourselves._"

Cloud shook his head. "I don't think so. You talk about us not knowing of you, well you have no idea how satisfying it is to know that you have no idea who we really are."

Rufus Shinra laughed loudly. "_You have spirit, I so admire that. Prey who are spirited are so much more rewarding to catch. Not that the edge you have gained by not regaling yourselves to me will do you much good._"

As the words were uttered Cloud caught the underlying tone, it was all a trap! That was why he wanted them to go on about who they were and banter with him. It was all to delay the time for his arrival.

"Barret, take Aerith and Red, get to the ground floor and break open the auto shop, _now_!"

"Say wha'?"

"Barret there's no time for this! Just get those two, head to the ground floor and get it open! He's on his way _here_. The horizon's moving, no doubt that the patrol locking down the plate will have been switched to locking down the whole building. We don't have any more time, unless you _want_ to go back to jail!"

A clapping sound filled the air. "_Bravo! You seem so much more focussed than I expected. The dance with you all shall be fun, as will the dance upon your legacy once the public see your trial._"

"Screw you, asshole!" Barret roared before he unloaded a flurry of rounds at the pane, cracking the image in multiple places.

"Enough sticking it to the man. Come on, get going!" Cloud and Tifa watched as they left.

"What about us, Cloud?" She asked nervously.

"You're a runner Tifa. We'll go down to together. Once you see a route we can exploit on vehicles we take it, no matter how dangerous."

"Can't we just use a service exit or something?"

Cloud shook his head. "A lockdown will have every natural exit covered. We need to make our own." He walked up to Palmer and slammed the handle of his sword against the man's temple, causing the plump figure to slump to the ground like a stone. "Enough messing around, let's go!"

* * *

The units had secured the immediate streets, forming a reinforced perimeter around the building. Reeve stood with Reno and Rude either side of him. In front of him, structured in rolling formation, was a platoon of fifty guards, formed from the Shinra army. Barbed wire barricades were punctuated by armoured cars and water cannon bearing police SUV's.

The whole area looked like the aftermath of a public riot, were the truth about sector seven to ever emerge. Reeve imagined whole sectors would become embroiled in similar violence.

"Boss," Reno suddenly uttered, shattering his train of thought. "Why are we out here supporting the grunts if the President's in danger?"

Reeve produced his computer tablet, showing the image of the text to his sub-ordinate. "We are under Operation Nightflight. I can't explain the full detail as the morale of the units needs to be maintained. Just be ready to secure the tower for the full transition that is to come."

Reno's eyes widened. "Transition? Are you serious? Then that means..."

"Silence!" Reeve erupted. "Say nothing more! Your role here tonight is to ensure the security of the facility. We are a go when Heidegger and Scarlet authorise it, not a moment sooner!"

His command was followed and Reeve took a deep sigh of relief. He didn't understand it himself truth be told. The news was confirmed, President Shinra was dead, witnessed by Aeronautics division head Palmer and validated by a second, as yet unconfirmed source.

His biggest concern over this plan of action was Avalanche. They were still in that building, and according to Palmer, the tower's upper level security was non-existent, so that meant one thing. The terrorists had been freed. Why would this command not want the security inside to apprehend them?

Desperately he shrugged it off. He had received the message loud and clear. The enemy must not be set free and the tower secured. Why they had ordered it in such a manner was irrelevant. What mattered now was the completion of the mission. Calmly he signalled for the men to fan out further, and the guns were cocked ready and waiting.

* * *

The elevator ride was fast and smooth. Barret had at first been fearful to use this way out. The last time he'd set foot in a public elevator, he'd had to climb into the vents above it to escape capture. That was the last thing he wanted to have to do, particularly with Aerith and Red – the escaped 'test subjects' – in tow. However, Aerith was right. If Cloud's sense of hurry was to be believed, they had barely any time to be hauling themselves down stairwells.

The warrior had been surprised at how easy it all had been though. Despite the elevator being made of glass and situated on the outside of the building, they had not been shot at once, nor had the elevator's systems been shut down. With the television screen showing them outside floor eleven, all was well.

For another forty-five seconds spent mulling over what to do next, the elevator sounded out that they had hit the ground floor. Calmly he stood right in front of the doors with his gun-arm levelled, ready to shoot any guards on sight.

To his shock, however, the lobby of the Shinra tower was totally devoid of people. Coolly, though cautiously, he walked off the elevator car and onto the floor proper, waving the others back as he took the first steps.

"Las' time we ha' no one waiting for us, they wuz readyin' a trap!" He announced simply. The others immediately nodded their understanding and allowed him to proceed further alone, walking into the centre of the enemy quarters.

'_Always wanted to smash this place alone,' _he thought to himself with a chuckle.

Carefully he approached the statue at the centre of the lobby, wary enough to observe the balconies that surrounded him from above. This had been far too easy, none of it made sense. He stood alone for a long minute, listening for any tell-tale sign that someone was lying in wait. Once it became clear that he was indeed alone, he whistled and the others came out into the concourse beside him.

"Loo's like the suckers ain' gonna come in 'ere. We's not gettin' out easy on this one!" Barret surmised grimly.

Aerith waved at the back of the lobby. "You two go. It's me that they are after. We don't _all_ have to stay trapped here like rats."

Barret furiously shook his head. "Hell no, girl! Don't you be saying tha' sor' of shi'! It was thanks to you that I's able to see Marlene again, you ain't sacrificing yourself on my watch!"

"Nor will I allow it, human! You have spoken of placing everyone above you before, tonight. _You_ are the one we protect," Red howled furiously.

Aerith blushed, her cheeks a bright burning. "Well... I don't know what to say..." She stroked Red's fur, the animal giving a contented purring noise at the touch. "Except to say thank you, especially to you Mr. Barret."

Barret suddenly turned and glared at her. "Wha' the hell? Girl don't be startin' tha'! I's fine wit' jes' Barret!"

"While this is useful," Red cut in suddenly. "Didn't Cloud want us to acquire a means to get out?"

Aerith nodded. "You're right." Barret watched as she glanced around and saw a set of double doors. "There!" She pointed swiftly, "'Shinra Autobodies'. Cloud mentioned something like that!" Hurriedly she darted towards it, but was disappointed when the doors did not open. "Shoot! They're locked!"

Barret rolled his eyes. "Step aside girl, I'll sor' this out!" He waited for her to step clear before he saw the palm print scanner. On the sixtieth floor he had witnessed Cloud carefully prise such a panel open and rewire it. Pressed for time, he just decided to do what came naturally.

Casually he raised his gun-arm, locked the muscles of his right arm, and depressed the two studs underneath it. As usual, the initial recoil caused his arm to spasm painfully, but with a roar of anger and defiance, the pain began to subside, as more of the slugs were drilled from the barrels at the end of his limb. For ten seconds he kept up the salvo, before a red alarm light blinked into life and a siren filled the air.

"Shi'!" He shouted angrily before rushing to the door. Grabbing the handle with the tightest grip his left-arm could offer, he tugged harshly at the handle. He could feel the metal object grinding and tearing at the runners that held the door in place. His face turned purple with effort, as the cheeks contorted at the force running through him.

Barret roared angrily, willing himself further on, defiantly being the unstoppable force that would shift the immoveable object. For a further minute the battle raged on, before he heard the sound of metal catches breaking and snapping, before he was suddenly flung from his feet as the door was released.

He catapulted backwards for around six feet, landed on his back and slid for a further four, as the energy within his body dissipated.

"Ugh!" He groaned as he sat up. "Guess the thin' was a bi' tougher than I wuz expectin'!"

Aerith smiled and offered her hand. "Come on! Let's get in there!" Barret accepted the limb she offered and clambered painfully to his feet.

As he stood behind her, watching the way she moved her arms and head, he could truly appreciate how much she had blended in to the urban environments during her time as a runner. Cloud listened as she pattered on about how on foot she'd have used the ventilation shafts, external drainpipes and rooftops as a means of her escaping.

He also listened as she, without pause or difficulty, switched to how the group could utilise that knowledge as a means of slipping away in a vehicle. The pair could see the heavy presence of the militia and, as Cloud had expected, the Shinra were focussed on all known exits to the building.

"From what I can see," he began swiftly. "The freeway runs across the city from west to east. That'd be the route we'd want to take. Otherwise, we may end up dangerously close to the ocean, and who knows what the Shinra can call upon there."

Tifa nodded. "That makes sense to me, but problem is the freeway is at least nine metres off the ground. So unless we can access some form of slip road, we'd have to leap out of the building onto it."

Cloud shook his head swiftly. "No chance we can do that. In order to cover the distance, which has to be at least five metres in width, we'd probably have to jump somewhere around fifteen metres high. There is no chassis or suspension that could survive that sort of height, except maybe an extremely tuned dirt bike."

Tifa sighed. "Then we have to cover some ground to a slip road."

Cloud ran to a nearby computer terminal. "This floor was part of the traffic division. Therefore, they've got to have some form of traffic map." He tapped at the keys to bring up the system under a public profile, before he dragged the cursor over numerous icons before him. At first he could only find newspaper clippings, clips from the Shinra television networks and photographs of the metropolis from a helicopter. Anger was about to get the better of him when Tifa pointed at an icon from over his shoulder.

"Try that," she called swiftly, "the icon looks like roadlanes."

Cloud followed her directive and smiled as the programmed kicked in. "Great job!" He called excitedly as the map came up on screen. "So the nearest sliproad is fifty metres north-east of the entrance on Caraway avenue."

"That distance would be as the crow flies." Tifa cut in, "with the local buildings and traffic junctions, we might want to add twenty or so metres further to the distance."

Cloud frowned and looked at the glass structured of the building. "The best we'll gain is maybe ten metres from the security points, after that it will be a dogfight. This is not going to be easy." He printed off the map and swiftly headed for the door. "We'd better get to the autoshop and see what we can do."

Tifa nodded at his command and ran on ahead. Cloud followed in her wake with his sword out, ready in case someone had remained behind. The first flight of stairs was taken slowly and carefully, once they reached the fourth floor, and had no sign of any hostile enemy waiting, Cloud ushered Tifa to rush forward and he followed in her wake.

As they reached the ground floor lobby, Cloud saw the flashing light and heard the siren. He cursed angrily. This would have tipped the Shinra off to their position, and crucially let them know vehicles would be involved.

He rushed inside the room to discover that, unlike practically anywhere else in the building, the windows were blacked out and heavy shutters covered them. Cloud smiled. This gave them an advantage. The Shinra wouldn't see their approach. He spied Tifa rush to a truck and begin fiddling with the engine.

It was a pickup truck, with a large heavy cabin for three passengers, and an open flatbed at the back. He watched and smiled as both Barret and Red took up defence at the rear of the truck. He was about to join them when he saw it. The bike was magnificent. It was a classic styled machine, much like one that the biker rebels from the numerous movies he had seen during the war on downtime between missions. It was as black as night, had a huge leather saddle and he also noticed a huge slot between the handle bars. Out of curiosity he tried to holster his sword there, and, to his amazement, it fit.

"I'm gonna take this!" He called swiftly. "Means I won't swipe any of you and can also have a tonne of extra movement to give the guards a tougher time catching us."

"Tha's fair. But tell us punk," Barret began, "how's we gonna ge' outta here? The shinra are watchin' all exits."

Cloud frowned for a moment before he saw a second truck. "Tifa, get that other truck fired up, drive it briefly and park it facing the north wall." She raised an eyebrow and Cloud snarled. "I'm gonna punch through the wall with it. Guards watch windows and exits, I haven't heard of any who watch walls." He casually replied as he slashed his glaive through a wooden beam to create a stump some two feet in height. Behind him he heard Tifa fire up the engine of the truck and move it slowly into position.

Carrying the lump of wood with him, Cloud briefly stopped by the motorcycle, kicked the starter so that it fired into life, and then left it snorting and ready for him to ride. He signalled for Tifa to get into the truck, he didn't watch as she slid into the right-hand drive machine. Ripping open the door, he jammed the slab of wood against the inside of the door with one end, and the other onto the accelerator pedal.

The engine gave a screeching sound as the throttle engaged, but the vehicle did not move, Cloud took a deep breath, then threw back the clutch into drive. Instantly he ducked free of the machine as it rushed forwards. Not wasting a second he leapt astride the motorcycle. Ahead of him, the vehicle had just reached the wall and, with a deafening sound akin to an explosion, it barged through the structure.

Outside he heard the screams as unsuspecting guards were mowed down by the machine. For another second it roared on before it collided with a heavy lamppost. Cloud listened and heard the clicking of rifles. For a heart stopping moment he thought the plan had failed, until he began to see the guards advancing upon the stricken vehicle.

He grinned like he were a villain in a superhero movie, this was his chance. He gripped the throttle handle of the bike and it roared loudly, the rear-wheel screeching against the marble floor, leaving a thick black line in its wake. After which the torque of the machine finally planted the power and he moved forwards. Behind him, he heard rather than saw the truck following.

As he reached the gaping hole, he executed a sliding turn, the bike pirouetting through the gap. Once clear, he hefted his sword and swiped blind, the glaive punching through one man's helmet as if it were constructed from butter.

Cloud popped a wheelie to streamline the motorcycle and then sped off, a concerto of machine gun fire pierced his eardrums, out of instinct he lowered his posture to make himself a smaller target. Then, as suddenly as it started, there was ceasefire. Cloud glanced behind him to see Barret roaring hatred at the stationary guards. He grinned and sped around a ninety-degree right turn.

Ahead was a three lane road, overhead he could see the freeway veer to his right. Thinking over what Tifa had said, the sliproad would usually be at least one street from the highway, as a way to ensure that the filtering traffic would form orderly at the junction of the highway. He gunned the throttle and headed forwards, as he glanced backwards, he saw Barret's gun on full auto. Behind the truck, a set of guards on motorcycles had begun their pursuit.

Cloud eased off the throttle and veered right. Taking a deep breath he released the throttle entirely, and felt all resistance of the air stop as he came to a sudden slow. He listened intently and, as the sound of the ticking van engine came closer, he re-engaged the throttle and soon found himself level with Barret and Red.

"Barret!" Cloud roared, trying to make himself heard over the noise. The tribal figure glanced his way, "aim for the tyres. You won't hit the person as the motion is too great."

"I can' hi' anythin' Cloud!" Barret roared back.

"Motorcycles are a bastard to shoot, mainly because they are so thin. Just do your best! Once we're on the freeway I'll drop back to provide cover!"

With the message delivered, he gripped the throttle and soon was level with Tifa's window. Thirty seconds passed before the glass began to sink into the door. "The plan remains the same. Get us onto the freeway and I'll provide cover. There are too many potential innocent targets down here!" Once more he gunned the bike, aiming to lead from the front. He sighed suddenly, knowing that this was only the beginning.

* * *

"Why aren't Soldier out there?" Reeve screamed suddenly at Heidegger. "They've attacked the tower, escaped from the holding cells and have now engaged in some form of hot pursuit! The Shinra Security division are not qualified for this!"

Heidegger glared at him. "That's where you're wrong, Reeve. Remind me, when was the last time Soldier had engaged in any form of vehicle pursuit?" The fat man smiled triumphantly as the Turk leader failed to provide an answer. "_Exactly_! Soldier are _infantry_ specialists. Give them a fort to defend or a town to attack on foot, and they are without peer. However, a moving target such as Avalanche? Out of their comfort zone." The military leader bridged the gap between the pair so closely that it appeared their noses would touch. "One other thing to consider. Soldier are **not** expendable!"

Reeve took a deep breath, but did not back away. "So is that what it comes down to then?" He asked cuttingly. "We deploy whoever is most expendable? May I remind you that these terrorists have sought to subvert all Shinra authority. What do you honestly expect the public to think if we keep letting them slip through because we are not sending out the best of the best?" Reeve's eyes narrowed. "Surely they are now public enemy number one? We should be formulating blockades, checkpoints, military flyovers. We should be pulling out all the stops until they are in our custody once again!"

Heidegger smiled. "Reeve, your passion is commendable, but remember, the Shinra is governed by the President and, until we receive the order, our focus is to secure the tower. The Shinra security division will either catch them or they won't. One other point to consider is that we at least get to road-test the Dominator should they fail."

Reeve's eyes widened. "What? You are sending out that juggernaut?"

Heidegger nodded. "That is the one trump card I can play for now." The man grinned. "In the meantime, the order was received that in one hour the successor lands at the top of the building. So take your men and a division of the guards to clean up the floor and ensure he can begin his duties."

Reeve watched the man as he slipped away, realizing that it was all too obvious. The mistakes of the Shinra in the past had been about utilising the numbers game to wear down the opponents. Like a wolf pack hunting a stag, they would harass it and wound it. Then, when the stag was too tired to battle on through the chase, it would take to the high ground, knowing it was finished, and engage in one last fight before it died.

The Shinra had taken this approach with the Genesis incident, and now, it seemed, the same approach was being used for Avalanche. Reeve frowned suddenly. That was then, but Rufus Shinra was an unknown quantity. Appointed to the concealed base in Junon, his authority there had been absolute, but all documents were deemed black box. For every word a person would be able to read, five had been blacked out. It was almost as effective as shredding the whole thing entirely.

This told him one thing. The new President kept his cards close to his chest. Heidegger looked as if he was playing in the hope that all would remain the same, and that the President was to be some form of figurehead only. Reeve smiled to himself then, his instincts telling him that the new President would have a lot more fire in his armoury, and how he utilised it would forever alter the internal power plays of the corporation.

* * *

The pursuit had at first seemed impossible. For around ten minutes, and a total of around a mile, the Shinra military units had been able to close the gap very quickly. Despite the torque that Cloud had from the bike, the heavily modified pursuit trucks were able to plant their power with far greater ease. Couple that with the passengers doing the shooting, rather than the driver, and they had the heavier advantage.

The game changer had been the switch to the freeway. Cloud wanted to simply take the nearest route onto it and he reasoned that the less distance covered on the ground the better. He had watched Tifa, however, drive around the road, clearly with another vision in mind. It had turned out to genius.

The three-laned highway had thinned into a single lane, thanks to some heavy construction repair on the highway at the edge. Tifa, despite handling the pick-up truck, was able to swerve through the diggers and mixers at the edge of the construction site and into the single lane while Cloud had even less trouble on the bike.

Behind them, the Shinra struggled. The trucks were carrying far more weight and two of them collided with an abandoned digger whilst trying to swerve around it. One truck got through, only to hit a pot-hole and snap the front-right axle, bringing the mammoth machine to a grinding halt.

Exultant, the group had turned on the tap and blasted further along the city road before they took the next slip entryway to an empty freeway. Cloud glanced behind and saw no immediate pursuit.

"Woo hoo!" Barret hollered from the back of the truck. "I gotta tel ya, for one minute I wuz worried! But damn Tifa, you's a drivin' machine!"

Cloud shook his head. "Focus! That was only _one_ unit!" Cloud shouted desperately, hoping that his message carried over the heavy wind.

The freeway itself was standard in almost every way. There were four lanes on the left-side that they drove on and, separated by metal barricades, there were another four lanes, designed for opposite flowing traffic. Along the side of the freeway were numerous advertising hoardings and road signs. The only problem with that was that the freeway was empty.

Never had Cloud heard of such a thing. There was no open road with such volume of space would be avoided by the public, not without a reason. He tried to shake it off, telling himself that this meant there would be no innocent people to get caught up in any battles, and no collateral damage or Shinra sympathisers trying to be a hero. Despite all of this, he just couldn't shake the worry that the group had missed something.

As if to punctuate his thoughts, a huge horn suddenly smashed the silence. It was almost as if a ship was approaching shore and warning the harbourmaster to ready their arrival. Cloud looked around and saw nothing, but once again, the horn sounded out. He turned the throttle harder and drove alongside the cab of the truck.

"Drive fast!" He shouted, the only words he dared risk to order in case it was swallowed by the horn. Tifa nodded in acknowledgement and he watched as the truck gained a few more miles per hour.

A blinding white light suddenly flooded the freeway, replacing the gentle orange of the streetlamps with a harsh and hostile corona. Cloud looked behind him and squinted, the light began to lessen in harshness as the vehicle mounted the sliproad. He gasped in horror as he saw it.

The long nosed cab of the lorry had been reinforced with thick armoured plating, while the windows of the cab had been covered by a grated metal sheet, similar to the flooring he had seen at the reactors. All the glass had been blacked out.

From the side of the trailer, which had to be some forty-feet long at least, turrets suddenly appeared. Cloud thrust the throttle as hard as he dared, as the barrels recoiled at the salvo from within. The wind threw huge chips of stone towards him and, glancing to his right, he could see the huge holes punctured in the freeway as a result.

He snarled. The Shinra had green lit them and sent this huge instrument of destruction after them. Cloud grunted and popped a wheelie, the streamlining providing some extra horsepower to catch up to the truck.

Ahead, Barret was standing defiantly, his gun-arm spewing slugs out at a phenomenal rate. Cloud looked on as the furious man shot wildly and risked a glance backwards to see sparks flying from the truck, but no penetration from the rounds.

"Down!" Cloud roared. Barret dropped to his knees and Cloud rushed the motorcycle alongside the truck. "It's too armoured! Keep low. I'm gonna do some close scouting!"

Before any objection could be made, he swung the bike to the farthest lane of the freeway, as he depressed the brake his gut was suddenly thrust to the front of his body, the force of motion from behind suddenly hit his resisting frame. Cloud ignored the pain and ducked low against the handlebars of the motorcycle. He heard, rather than saw, the slugs that smashed the freeway around him. He whispered a silent prayer and waited for five more seconds before he turned on the throttle.

His timing had been almost perfect. The cab of the vehicle had long passed by, but he hadn't quite been on the mark, and the trailer followed through. Cloud swung the bike to the rear of the truck. It was a mistake. The rear doors were open and the crouching guards within all opened fire. Cloud swung his body as best he could and swerved the bike out to the right. A stray bullet hit bars of the motorcycle, but mercifully ricocheted towards the sky.

With a rear assault out of the question, Cloud rushed further forwards and turned in past the rear set of three wheels. He looked at the tyres carefully, only to recognise them as the reinforced rubber used on the machines that rode over minefields to detonate the charges. If a charge of C4 would fail to get through those, then a sword or bullet wouldn't stand a chance.

Refusing to be dismayed by the heavy armour of the truck, Cloud gunned the bike forwards and glanced ahead. There he saw the weak point and smiled. All forms of attack gravitated between strength and weakness. Usually when making an assault vehicle, the rules were to make it as armoured as possible so that it could withstand an enemy fire, then man it with fire of your own to take advantage.

With the tyres, armour plating and masses of gun turret space, the Shinra had followed this to the letter of the manual. One thing they hadn't done was think about what would happen if the cart and horse were to become loose or separated.

Thus, the hydraulic wires that held the roadtrain together, had not only been left stock, but exposed. Coolly he swung the bike clear of the truck and chased after his comrades. Barret was still firing madly at the truck, though, as Cloud expected, not one bullet found its mark.

Weaving ferociously and swiftly, Cloud got through the gap between the vehicles and signalled for Barret.

"I have a plan! Get on!" Cloud demanded.

"WHA'! No fuc'in' way!" Barret shouted back.

"It's our only chance! I can't do it alone! Get on or we'll all be captured or killed!" Cloud riposted desperately.

He could see the man's fear, and didn't blame him, this was like the leap from the train in the tunnels or the fire leap after the first reactor. It was succeed or die trying. "The train, Barret!" Cloud shouted suddenly, "the line's not ending yet!" He hid a smile as he saw the colours on the face of the man change and, suddenly, the bigger man leapt. Cloud matched his speed as best possible, but Barret landed with such a weight that the bike very nearly skidded away from him.

Cloud wrestled with the handlebars and regained control, while Barret clung with his one hand to a flap in the saddle.

"Brace yourself! I have to brake hard and don't need you pushing me off by accident!" Before the man could reply, Cloud braked and felt the heavy bulk of the man slide against him. Cloud pressed back with his own bodyweight, doing all he could to keep Barret back.

As the cab came into view he turned on the throttle again, this time he had judged it correctly and pulled in under the truck before the side turrets could open fire. Behind him, he heard Barret gulp in fear. He could understand why, since the underside of the truck was barely five inches above their heads.

"Wha's the plan punk?" Barret asked swiftly.

"The outer body is too armoured, so our only shot is to attack it from underneath." Cloud nodded his head at the hydraulic _cables_ and shafts at the back of the cab. "If we can detach or damage those, there is a chance the lorry and trailer will jacknife."

"A _chance_!" Barret shouted.

Cloud nodded. "Yes, a chance, but it is better than no chance at all. Come on!" With a roar he nudged the bike forwards. He felt the weight of the figure behind him shift to his right and Cloud prepared himself as the bullets suddenly were fired.

Ahead the cables jerked and moved, but held against the storm. Barret screamed in fury and gave it all he had. Soon after, Cloud could see some fluids leaking and realised the wires had been grazed. Closing the gap further, so they were barely seven feet from the wires, he urged Barret on, the screams from the man confirming he was giving it absolutely everything.

Cloud suddenly saw three of the five cables break. Instantly he swerved out from under the truck and gunned the engine. Behind him, the trailer became severely unstable and suddenly veered to the left. A huge plume of smoke erupted from the tyres as the brakes were slammed on and the driver of the cab fought to bring it under control. Cloud smiled as the trailer continued moving left, the cab suddenly at a forty-five degree angle from the trailer.

With the cab out of line, the trailer suddenly flipped onto its side, dragging the cab with it. Cloud looked as the out of control vehicle careered towards the edge of the freeway before smashing through the concrete barricade and slipped from sight. There was no explosion, but Cloud could hear the numerous support beams being ripped through by the falling truck.

"Stop!" Barret suddenly shouted.

Cloud looked up to see the escape truck parked some three hundred feet yards ahead of them, where the freeway had come to an abrupt end. Cloud engaged the brakes and then turned the motorcycle. Barret screamed in terror as he held the bike in a perfect slide, adding extra stopping power to the vehicle, which came to a half one hundred yards from the edge.

Barret flopped off suddenly. "Don' ever offer me a lift again!" The figure groaned before dropping to his knees, bowing his head in relief.

Cloud chuckled and stepped off the bike. "Is everyone ok?"

Aerith shook her head. "That truck was _filthy_! I was coughing so badly thanks to all the dust!"

Tifa shrugged. "Well I'm sorry, but when was the last time someone turned down an escape route because it was _dirty_?"

Cloud rolled his eyes. "So no one has been injured or anything important then?" The group shook their heads. "Then I guess we can focus on our next move."

"What do you plan?" Red asked softly.

"Well Sephiroth is alive..." Cloud's fist shook violently. "I can't let him do what he wants! He's ruined things for many people, for _my_ people! I have a score to settle, and I will find him!"

"Wha'?" Barret asked suddenly. "Punk, wha' is gettin' at you?"

"It doesn't matter!" Cloud snapped.

Tifa frowned suddenly. "No Cloud, it _does_ matter. Ever since you mentioned clean up missions after Wutai you've been sullen and downright twitchy. And it makes me nervous, not to mention that it'll make you sloppy if it distracts you. We have to know."

Cloud shook his head. "There's no time now."

"Then we'll _make_ time!" Aerith suddenly announced. "It's bad for the soul to bottle up negative emotion. You need to release it, and we need to know that you're ok. So you're going to tell us, whether you want to or not!"

"So you're coming with us?" Cloud replied, surprised by her enthusiasm.

"I'm not safe with the Shinra around. They've been hounding me for a very long time. You're my bodyguard, so I'll go where you go." She sighed suddenly. "Plus I have unanswered questions and things I wish to find out."

"I wish to return to my tribe," Red cut in. "They are many miles from here, I will travel with you as far as that."

"So that's it Cloud." Tifa interjected. "We're all with you, and that means you have to be straight with us. You say there's no time? Well Aerith's right. Somehow we'll have to make it. But, for now, let's just get out of Midgar..." She glanced around nervously. "Err... I _could_ find a way for me as a runner, but not seeing an obvious way for everyone else."

Barret pointed behind her. "I used one of those things in my hometown. Give me two minutes and I'll have us a way down past the wall."

Cloud followed his gesture to a large crane that had been part of the construction, it might have ended, but the supplies were all here.

"Aerith. Is this what Sector Six was meant to join? It looks similar."

She shrugged. "I don't know. Makes sense, I guess."

"Well Barret you can try it, but if it's linked to that, there might not be any fuel in it." Cloud added gloomily.

He watched Barret snort before walking towards the massive crane. It took a minute for him to climb aboard and fire up the gears, but suddenly, to Cloud's surprise, the wire and hook of the crane swung over their heads to the tip of the freeway, and then descended out of sight. For fifteen seconds the group listened on before Barret switched off the engine.

"Tha's as far as the sucker goes!" He called before dismounting.

Cloud sighed but took it upon himself to go first. Coolly he gripped at the wire and turned so he was facing the Shinra tower. He took a deep breath and began to descend the wire. Beneath him was the slums of Midgar, and he took in the vast amount of scrap materials, before the vision of a church caught his eye. They were over sector five!

Carefully he levered himself down the wire for five long minutes before he reached the hook. It might have taken all the cable the crane had to offer, but Barret had stopped it just four feet from the ground. Cloud took a deep breath and let go of the hook, squatting his legs so that he landed with his feet apart and the body able to spring down, passing the kinetic energy into the earth. He waited underneath as the others began to climb down, Tifa opting to do one of her skill rolls upon landing, while Red naturally landed on all fours. With Tifa's help, Cloud caught Aerith as she freefell from the wire, and Barret just dropped down casually, allowing his bulk to absorb the impact.

"Well that's it. Guess we had best move out." Cloud called. "But first we need a meeting point."

"Wha'?" Barret suddenly cried out, as much for the group as himself.

"We can't travel together. The plains beyond Midgar are massive. A group of five, one of whom is a tiger creature, will be easily spotted. We need to break off and reconvene."

"It makes sense," Tifa called suddenly. "The runners would have trackers watching all police communication and cameras, directing runners to drop off points, as one having the package all the way would be too easy to intercept."

"Question is, where do we meet?" Cloud asked.

"There're three towns South of Midgar, close to the mountains." Tifa suggested, "We could take cover in those if we have trouble."

Cloud shook his head. "Those mountains are part of the border with the Shinra port. They'll be watched. South is the most likely direction Sephiroth took, but if we just follow him as the crow flies we'll get caught. No, we need to strike east first. Make the Shinra go away from their military bases."

"Say punk!" Barret spat suddenly. "There's a little town North-east from here. A place called Kalm. Jessie was sayin' that the place is a tourist spot, somethin' to do with old mines and water trips."

"Tourist town?" Aerith cooed suddenly. "Oh! I bet it will be so pretty."

"More than that," Cloud cut in. "It'll be crowded. If we can find a quiet inn we could lay low for a couple of days there, get ourselves refreshed."

"And you can tell us what has been eating you," Tifa punctuated.

Cloud sighed. "Yeah. Come on, let's not stay here. The Shinra are hunting and we've wasted enough time." At his word the group set off, with not one backward glance at the city of the future.


	12. Dreams in darkness

Chapter 12 - Dreams in darkness

The contrast between the world he had endured, and the one he wandered now, was as startling as going from walking on the moon to the earth. Midgar was a metropolis that sucked the very light and life from the world. The two-tiered hub buried the soft earth beneath concrete and steel. The air that swirled within its borders was a tornado of carcinogens, smog and mako waste.

Outside the wall though, the world was totally different. Beyond the calyx shaped darkness that was Midgar's unnatrual occupancy, lush green plateaus stretched as far as the eye could see. If he closed his eyes, Cloud could almost feel like he were home.

_ "You have no home!"_ The unwelcome thought sprang from his unconsciousness like a viper. Momentarily he stopped in his tracks and glanced in all directions.

"Cloud! What's wrong with you?" Aerith asked, startled by the sudden halting of the advance.

Cloud placed a hand on his brow, feigning surveillance. "We have only covered three or four miles in the last hour and a half. The sun has not even begun to rise, and we are isolated. I am keeping my eyes on the backtrail."

Tifa squinted in the direction he had surveyed. "With only a crescent moon there isn't much of the trail highlighted, if the Shinra were in pursuit headlights would be all over us. Come on, let's get a move on!" She ushered suddenly, before she set off at point.

He smiled as Aerith followed in her wake, as soon as he had suggested the group fracture to make their escape, it had been obvious who he would be travelling with. Aerith, and her constant mentioning of him being her bodyguard, would not let him go easily. While Tifa's concern on the highway also meant she would want a close eye kept on him.

"This town sounds wonderful." Aerith cooed suddenly. "I wonder if they have museums and foreign goods to view?"

"Even if they do we won't have the luxury of surveying them." Cloud cut in suddenly. "If the Shinra have a list of public enemies to be caught at all costs, you can bet we are top of it."

"What about capturing Sephiroth? He murdered the President after all!" She countered swiftly.

Tifa shook her head. "Cloud's right on this one Aerith. Avalanche have been big news all over Midgar for the last two years, Sephiroth has been dead for five."

"Got it in one." Cloud replied. "Plus he was one of their greatest warriors, they won't want the public thinking less of him." He shivered suddenly. "Come on, we have a distance to go." At his command, the trio pressed on.

* * *

For eight hours he had followed the tracks of the animal ahead of him. Despite Cloud's suggestion that Red and he should strike North and then cut East, the animal with is natural ability to scent the flowing inland waters, had mapped their course incredibly accurately. As such, it was with a smile that they had arrived at the edge of the town first.

The image Jessie had painted in his mind really didn't match what was ahead of him. In many ways it looked as if a period drama from the television networks had suddenly sprung to life. The town roads were made of cobbled stones, while there were no modern highway features such as road signs or traffic lights.

"Damn di' we turn left at the fifteenth century or sumthin'?" He asked candidly.

"I thought you had travelled from far outside Midgar?" Red asked while glancing at him, "not many settlements are as advanced as where we have come from."

Barret nodded. "Yeah I guess you's right on that 'un. I think I's been away from the good worl' for too long. So, what the hell we gonna do?"

"An animal and a human with a gun is too obvious..." He sniffed at the air suddenly before he spun around.

Barret raised his gun-arm and twirled as well. To find himself staring at the mercenary.

"I'd rather you didn't shoot me." Cloud retorted coldly. "What are we looking at?"

"Sumthin' out of the past." Barret replied, desperate to not accede to the anger flowing through him. "Not sure how we's gonna blend in."

"It's not as deep as I expected it to be." Aerith pined suddenly. "Where are the merchant ships?"

"Girl this ain' no fu'ing holiday!" Barret roared suddenly, "who giv' a shi' abou' the boats! We's go' bigger thin's to be thinkin' 'bout!"

"Knock it off!" Tifa suddenly cried out. "Aerith is right to ask, this is the only port with access to the North on this continent. I'd expect at least two or three in the dock unloading. Especially with sun only up by a couple of hours. All the merchants should be queuing through snow and ice for the best produce before the day's trading starts."

Cloud nodded. "Yeah it does seem off, suggests the Shinra have invoked some form of trade embargo."

"Could be a sign of bad weather too." Red suggested, "which might mean the place is less crowded."

"Well we had best move fast then, longer we stand scouting on the edge of town the longer the people within have to get suspicious and report something." Tifa announced before she led the way, strolling casually down the pitted dirt-road into the town proper.

* * *

He sat at the oval table nervously, right now he had expected to be off on an enforced vacation, as ordered by the President. That had been twenty-four hours ago, now he sat and watched everyone else in the room, he smiled within, it was apparent they too possessed the same uncertainty that he did.

"All rise for the President!" The member of Soldier First-Class called out as the large doors opened once again.

Reeve followed the command silently, rising into a tight salute. Directly opposite, the huge form of Heidegger copied him instantaneously. All around the table came a united chant to hail the President's presence in the room. Reeve did not dare turn his head, the previous President Shinra had grown accustomed the core inner circle watching him enter the meeting. President Rufus Shinra was an unknown commodity, he could not, would not take any risks.

"Sit down the lot of you." Rufus Shinra commanded swiftly, Reeve slipped back to his chair as silently as possible. "For those of you who have not read the memo, and judging by the performances under my Father's adminstration, I assume that's at least half of you; **I** am President! The first port of call is for the movements forward to consumate my ascension to control of the Shinra." He swivelled his chair and stared directly at Reeve. "Surmise the situation for the good of this meeting."

Reeve nodded and cleared his throat. "Mr President, as of 02:36 the terrorist group Avalanche successfully fled the borders of Midgar, their current whereabouts are not yet known. At the request of yourself and the military, no immediate pursuit was launched, as we secured the tower facility."

"I have a unit ready to go at any command you provide, Mr President!" Heidegger cut in swiftly.

"I am aware of that Heidegger, you are the Head of Public Safety Maintainence..." He paused suddenly, and glared at the fat military field marshal. "However, if you **ever** interrupt a surmisation I have personally requested, **ever again**, you shall be stripped of all rank and placed under military arrest! Do you understand?"

Heidegeer noddded. "It is clear as crystal Mr President."

Reeve watched the situation play out as if he were in a game of high stakes poker. His face might have appeared neutral and emotionless, but inside, his heart was hammering as fast as a Mako reactor. The President was nothing like his Father, he was awed by it, but more than this, he was fearful of it.

"Reeve, please continue your summary." Rufus directed nonchalantly, almost as if nothing had even happened. Reeve knew in that instant, that the man sat to his left, at the head of the table, was a man of dangerous ashes; and he would walk wide around them.

"Yes Mr President. Well as requested we have been working on making the Tower secure from any other attack. Floors sixty-seven through seventy have been sealed off and our crime scene investigators are collating as much evidence as possible. At the same time, we have provided, as requested, a brief to the public explaining that the members of the Administration are currently being held under tight security. As part of the detail, Company policy of not co-operating with the press until all investigations into the assault have been reiterated."

"Thank you." He answered respectfully, before he suddenly rose to his feet. "As Reeve has just explained, we are now dark until I order otherwise. I have been paying close attention to the reports from multiple ranks of the military, and to say I am not impressed would be a sufficient understatement." He rudely pointed at Heidegger and the woman at his side, Scarlet, "first of all is the failing of you pair! We had the terrorists captured and imprisoned. Why then, was one man able to get through all security on the sixty-seventh floor? Avalanche had their weapons stored in basic annex rooms, rather than the bio-metric sealed armoury, while main militia were spread through all the floors for no apparent reason."

"We were focussing on ensuring no further in-roads could be made by sympathisers, no one had ever broken free of the cells, were it not for Sephiroth the same would be in place for Avalanche." Scarlet defended swiftly.

Rufus nodded. "Yes I have to admit Sephiroth's return was something of a surprise, especially since the Genesis files listed him as deceased. No matter, the first thing to focus on is the people. My departed father always believed the world could be controlled by money. Have the markets in his pocket, get people working constant overtime, and in return the Shinra army protects you. It is a good philosophy..." Reeve listened to the pause, knowing something else would replace it, two seconds later the President struck the table hard. "It is also foolish! People respect authority when it is used, they respect authority when it gets constant results. Avalanche have been allowed to subvert and undermine any rule we have had for four years too long. So this is how it plays out, all sympathisers are to be arrested and imprisoned, all who vocally support Avalanche and attempt to rile up discontent are to placed in solitary confinement, Avalanche will learn that the Shinra will not rest until their reign of terror is at an end. Begin all motions for this to happen now! Meeting adjourned!"

Reeve listened to the astonished silence, his eyes feasted on the pupils of everyone at the table. In their eyes he saw the very fear and respect for authority the President had commanded. The speech was not just for the populace, but it was for all under him, obey the authority of the President or suffer the fate of a traitor. Calmly he rose from his seat and excused himself from the meeting, aware that those who served him would be delighted by this turn of events.

* * *

Cloud looked on as Tifa approached the main desk for the hotel. As he had expected, the main square with the multiple merchant stalls, water fountains and bars was populated by establishments all aiming to outdo one another. Thus there were places with croupiers dealing cards, magicians performing tricks and provocatively dressed belly dancers. As a group on the run from a conglomerate that virtually ruled the continent, Cloud had wanted them to stay somewhere far less obtrusive.

Thus he had followed Tifa, her runner instincts taking them through a series of meandering alleyways, past the tourist traps and into the realm of the seedier joints. Three times they had been approached by a group of four men; all of them big, black and brash, each asked what it was that they wanted and how they could provide it.

Normally a stranger who approached such a group would be led to a dreadfully empty bar and charged multiple thousands of gil for the pleasure of leaving, Cloud though, was no ordinary man and Avalanche no ordinary group. So when Cloud advised the groups that the only thing they wanted was to avoid a bloodbath, the street huggers wisely chose to leave them be.

The hotel had three levels, and from what he could see, most of the rooms were cramped and had beds stacked in bunks. It almost looked like a scene from his miltary training, he half expected to see footlockers at the end of the beds.

"It's like this." He overheard Tifa announce smoothly. "We don't like travelling heavy, however, we have stuff to discuss that is deeply private. So sharing with strangers that have nothing but a pack on their spine is no use to us."

"Each room has eight beds, each bed is twenty gil a night. You want luxury? There's the door, don't let it hit you on the way out." The owner responded rudely, his eyes not even leaving the pages of the newspaper that he had held out in front of him.

"Look, you know full well we are willing to pay more, plus, you won't have to shovel shit out of the beds like you would with all the other drunks that stagger in here. Just give us a floor and that'll end it." Tifa demanded harshly.

The man set down his newspaper. "So you want to hire a floor? Now that's interesting, smallest floor we have is the top floor, has one open room with ten beds, you want that it'll cost you 200 gil." Tifa nodded. "Well that's simple enough, now just for some identification."

Tifa shook her head. "You have our cash, no records."

"That how it is huh? Listen doll, I don't care who you are, but that I.D is needed or you get nothing!"

Cloud stalked over and stared at the man harshly. "My ladyfriend here is not fond of paperwork, hell, nothing pisses her off more. Now you see my uniform?" The man nodded. "Well you know who I represent, if I wanted, I could have this place shutdown for all the vermin that infest it, for all the illegal unfiltered beer you sell and even the back room that you use for client entertainment as you call it." The man gulped in his grasp. "The fact I am even willing to pay you after listing off these violations, would tell a wise man we have a deal, correct?"

"Y... Yes sir!" He reached the cabinet below and pulled out a large ring that was infested with keys. "These are the top floor, please, it was all a mis-understanding. 200 for the top floor? Sure, sure, wouldn't want to create a scene, please, go on ahead."

Cloud nodded and the others set off, he waited at the reception, the man behind the desk looking on nervously at him. Two minutes later Tifa re-appeared gesturing that it was ok. Cloud tapped the desk clerk's cheeks lightly and smiled, before he too wandered after all the others.

As he walked into the room, Cloud was surprised to see that the beds were long single ones with wooden frames and clean linen. After the conversation at the entrance he was expecting termite ridden frames and linen so stained that you couldn't count the trysts they had been used for. Sat on the end of beds were the other members, all looking at him directly.

"Well then, I guess we's made the time for it, there's no holdin' out now punk!" Barret called.

"We need to know, and you also need to let go." Aerith followed up.

"This is how it is Cloud, we are a team, and a team trusts each other. So let's have it all heard out."

Cloud sighed and turned his back, shutting the door at the top of the stairs and barring all three locks from the inside. He felt his nerves fraying, he was stood on the edge and part of him wanted to fall into the silent embrace of the darkness. But at the edge of the darkness, he pictured the face and anger replaced the emotion of despair. As he took a deep breath, he spun back in the direction of the others.

"I have seen a lot." He began solemly. "As you all know, I was a former servant of the Shinra. The war in Wutai made Sephiroth a hero, and Soldier followed in his wake. I was one of the fortunates who climbed to the top of the ladder thanks to it. But a lot of strain was placed on me as a person. I was promoted by the head of Soldier, a man named Lazard, and with it, I was the first port of call for destroying insurgency."

Tifa nodded suddenly. "After the war there was a severe crackdown, the runners were always kept up to speed on the words from the street. Many groups got smashed by Soldier forces, as part of Shinra's law enforcement, the swift justice system as it was known. It is still employed for certain offences."

Cloud nodded with a heavy sigh. "If only that was the truth, in Wutai it was a war, and every action taken had no regrets. After the war, it was a lot different. Many groups formed protests, Shinra just declared them insurgents from Wutai. The public, opposed to Wutai, just lapped it up, so nothing was hated on." Cloud's balled fists shook violently. "I was sixteen, a kid, given a sword and huge license to do what he wanted in the name of the Shinra. At one march there were two young girls, both crying and pleading for their Mother and to let them go home. A Soldier Second-Class walked over to them and cut them down. I didn't stop him, no, instead I knocked out the reporter who filmed it, destroyed the footage and covered it up!" Shocked gasps filled the air.

"Cloud? Tell me that isn't..." Aerith began to plead, her eyes wide in horror.

Cloud shook his head. "I wish I could, but I can't. Why do you think I am a renegade? Why do you think I took up arms with Avalanche?"

"Hol' up a second! You's wuz always goin' on abou' leavin' after the mission! You's not usin' my lot to cover up your shi'!" Barret reacted angrily.

Cloud's eyes flared at the insinuation. "I was a mercenary! Any job, thing is, with Avalanche, I had a way to strike back. I realised that once we blew the reactor. You were a people aiming to make a difference. It might have been small, but it punched way above weight." He paused and sighed, "I can never forgive myself for those children, nor should I! But I could do what I could to make sure it never happened again, not while I had the will to stop it. We butted heads Barret, and it was because I bottled it all up. Your volatile nature and my defensiveness caused our arguments. I'm to blame, and for five years I have lived with the shadow of that day."

"How does this connect with Sephiroth?" Red asked suddenly.

Cloud nodded, "I was awestruck by Sephiroth, he had two close comrades in the warriors Angeal and Genesis. But Sephiroth always took my attention, the way he was so calm and controlled, for the immense abilities he had as a fighter, he was so private and quiet. In short, during the war I came to hero-worship him, and I never saw him at those clean ups. As a way to get away from it and to try and come to terms with what I had seen, I signed up for any mission I could with him. Most were basic jobs, but five years ago that all changed, when I was ordered with Sephiroth to investigate some activity that had sprung up at my hometown of Nibelheim..."

Cloud stood back from the others and ordered them all to focus on him but not say anything. He closed his eyes and felt warmth begin behind his pupils within his mind. The mitochondria and chromosomes collesced their senses together, as the wave reached near maximum Cloud threw out his arms and a veil of darkness swept through the room, dragging all those within deeper into his sub-conscious.

* * *

The group collectively opened their eyes and Cloud ignored the gasps of shock at the world they had stepped into. It was a confined world, the metal floor was flanked on both sides by two wooden benches. The roof was a canvas material that had multiple frames threaded through it, creating an almost tent-like ceiling.

Four figures occupied the truck. Two Shinra guards sat on opposite benches, the first on the right, his eyes fixed from within the helmet on the rifle that was held tightly in his hands. The second was on the left, he was slumped against the canvas wall and his breathing sounded ragged. At the centre of the truck was a younger version of Cloud. His eyes had the same strange hue at their edges, while the blonde hair was also still styled in the same rebellious biker fashion. His face was not as taut and his frame not as full. Directly behind Cloud sat the mysterious form of Sephiroth.

"Say, are you ok?" Cloud asked the guard to his right, the man shook his hands and head simultaneously.

"I suppose." The man replied with a groan, "so long as I don't think about the bumps and relax my breathing I should be ok."

"Why not take off your helmet?" Cloud asked.

"Containing the air is easier, trust me, I'll be ok."

Cloud shrugged. "Fair enough, I can't say I understand, I've never had motion sickness."

As the conversation ended, Cloud strode to the back of the truck and looked out through the opening in the canvas. The rain was heavy, it slashed at the world with a relentless fury. Fortunately for all inside, the direction was to their six, if it was at their twelve the truck would need to stop in order too prevent it being flooded. With all converation ceased Cloud began to do multiple squats in the back of the truck, despite the rugged surface they were driving over, he was not thrown off balance.

"Hey!" The voice of Sephiroth called suddenly, Cloud spun to face him. "Settle down."

Cloud smiled. "I can't help it, this is the first real mission that the pair of us have been on together. It's a long way from the rounding up of insurgents, plus, they gave me some new materia! I can't wait to try it in battle."

Sephiroth shook his head. "You might be First-Class but you've still not grown out of your attitude. A battle is not about trying out new materia, this isn't a game. Make the wrong step and you get injured or worse."

Cloud walked a couple of paces closer. "I have you in my shadow, surely that means I have little to worry about right?"

Sephiroth's eyes narrowed. "I am not a bodyguard Cloud, you've seen my battles in the war, I am about ending the fight. You have to be able to stand alone. Take my advice and be careful."

"I understand sir." He chuckled suddenly. "You are right though, only take the risks when you have the skill. I still recall the critical battle in Wutai, you gave me command of the Second-Class to lead an onslaught and draw out the leaders, only for you to lead First-Class over the mountain to trap them between the hammer and the anvil." He balled his fists suddenly with the memory and the energy it gave him. "On that day I felt more alive than ever, that critical battle was filled with soldiers battling on all sides. I remember staring at the sun and thinking, 'this is a good way to go.' And then you swept through them. I was awed, I may have made First-Class, but you became a hero, I could never match that. I signed up for this and the other missions purely because of how much it means to me... In that I serve with such a hero."

Sephiroth shook his head calmly. "A hero? I hear them say that about me all the time. I killed hundreds, maybe even thousands of people, and I led those very Soldiers to their deaths. That makes me a hero? It makes me a killer."

Cloud shook his head. "You're not the one who covered for the killer of children after the war, you never gave up your principles."

"I know what you went through Cloud, but redemption is not given, it is found. I remember the words of my mentor, a wise man named Terra Justicos. He taught me the meaning of power, but also a phrase he told me, and only me."

"What phrase?" Cloud asked, captivated by the story.

"He used to tell me this, '_he who conquers is strong, but he conquers himself is mighty.' _Try living by those words Cloud, what happened is past. You can hate and depress yourself for it, but it will never go away. You need to learn from it. You might serve the Shinra army, and you might be one of the highest rankers they have. But if something is wrong, learn to walk away, no matter what the cost."

Cloud nodded with a heavy sigh. "I understand, it is not easy, but I understand. I'll try it."

"Good! Now that you're focussed, let's talk about the mission, have you been read in?"

Cloud shook his head. "Not entirely, I heard it was some activity on the middle continent, nothing else was briefed to me by Lazard."

Sephiroth nodded. "I expected that, sometimes his methods baffle me. Anyway, we are to investigate a recent surge in the monsters that have inhabited one of our Mako reactor sites."

"Monsters aren't that uncommon though surely? Why does it require two of First-Class?" Cloud countered

"I knew that you had a lot of promise, I asked myself the same question, so when Lazard got sketchy I forced him to tell me. The monsters have started breeding uncontrollably creating different species, and the Shinra have reason to believe that something is causing it. They are concerned that it might be to do with Mako itself, but it could also be about the location. Due to the severe nature of the breeding, Lazard thought it wise to not just place this in the hands of one Soldier."

"Where is this place?" Cloud asked.

"A settlement called Nibelheim."

"Nibelheim! That's where I am from!" Cloud reacted suddenly, both excited and panicked by the nature of the mission.

The conversation was about to continue further when the truck suddenly changed direction without warning. Cloud was brushed aside by the guard with motion sickness who leant over the tailgate at the rear of the truck and began to vomit loudly. A scream filled the air as the driver suddenly lost control of the truck, while a large tail had smashed the windscreen and threatened to throttle all life from him. Cloud ran forward and stabbed out with his blade, the tail thrashed violently before retreating, the guard slammed on the brakes bringing the vehicle to a stop.

"S... Sir!" The guard began.

Sephiroth shook his head. "There's no need," he answered smoothly whilst climbing to his feet. "That must obviously be our monster." Without a second's thought he leapt from the truck, Cloud instantly followed his lead.

The wind driven rain made the atmosphere almost unbearable. The water slashed at the air like a thousand icy needles, Cloud cursed but refused to back away. As he rounded the truck he was almost rooted to his spot by the appearance of his Superior. Sephiroth stood defiant before the beast like a warrior of legend. His waist-long hair and full-length black cloak fluttered in the air with elegance and grace. Sephrioth himself held the legendary sword Masamune before him. It was easily six feet in length and curved much like a tulwar. Sephiroth's stance was unusual, he held it almost like a rifle, and stared along the blade like he was sniping from a rooftop.

As Cloud rushed to stand alongside his hero, his vision was arrested by the monster. It was a dragon, that much he could tell, quite how it came to exist he could not. It was a colossal size, Cloud estimated that it was at least thirty feet long and more than likely about twelve feet in height. It was an enemy Cloud did not envy fighting. He swallowed his fear and waited, at his side Sephiroth was looking down the blade with his eyes darting shallowly to the left and right.

The dragon suddenly roared and thrust its neck towards them, the wide gaping maw of the beast stretched out and a huge column of flame was directed the pair of them. Cloud thought fast and leapt to his right, using the slick surface of the earth as a means to slip free of the flame. Sephiroth, however, simply stood in the spot and raised his blade, angling it to his left. Cloud looked on, amazed, as the blade diverted the attack safely away from him.

Merely a second later Sephiroth swung the weapon and the blade slashed harshly against the dragon's neck. A deep wound formed spurting blood and puss. The beast howled and leapt forward, Sephiroth once again waited, the beast's mouth was now stretched fully out, the huge fangs looking like two rows of daggers.

Cloud clambered to his feet and began to clumsily make his way towards the enemy, before he had a chance, the beast was upon his hero. However, Sephiroth shocked both Cloud and the dragon by leaping up into the air, as he did so, he hurled masamune like a lance, the blade speared through the beast's mouth and out through the back of the neck.

The dragon toppled to the ground with a groan and Sephiroth landed three paces to the right, silently he picked up the weapon and gestured at Cloud to head for the truck.

"Let's get out of the rain, it won't do us any good to kill such a beast and die of pneumonia."

Cloud nodded at the casual and dismissive remark, as he clambered aboard the engine started and darkness fell upon the scene.

* * *

As he opened his eyes, he came to face to face with the others, their eyes showing the shock at what they had just witnessed.

"Sephiroth's strength has been the stuff of legend ever since he disappeared." Cloud began calmly.

"You's tellin' me punk!" Barret roared suddenly. "Shi'! How does someone take down that sort of thing alone?"

"I heard he was capable of immense power, but that terrified me." Aerith added softly.

Cloud nodded. "If anything his strength has been underplayed, the Shinra were always masters of the media, if they had shown what he truly could do in fights, the public would ask questions of how he is controlled and everything else. They couldn't afford that, so instead, his legend was watered down."

"So what happened after that?" Tifa interjected.

"Well with the fight still hanging over, I was full of adrenaline, no matter how much I tried to calm myself down, I still couldn't shake how I'd done nothing but survive the fight. Sephiroth tried explaining that I had done the right thing and was in a flank position if needed, but that didn't help. I felt like he had needed me, either way, for better or worse we arrived at Nibelheim, it was the first time in seven years I had seen my hometown, I had no idea what to expect."

* * *

As the mitochondria and chromosomes worked their magic again, the group were casually arrested by the black world. Suddenly it parted and they saw ahead of them what appeared to be the edge of a frontier town. A weathered metal archway hung at the end of a path, with the name of the town emblazoned on a beaten ancient sign at the tip. To their right of the gateway an old wreck of a truck sat with one wheel missing and the chassis sagging badly. Ahead was an old wooden water well that was the focal point of the town, the buildings circling it like people singing around a campfire.

Suddenly, the mysterious form of Sephiroth walked to the edge of the town, took a swift glance before he turned back to the road.

"How does it feel?" He asked with an ethereal twinge to his voice and gaze locked back towards the wilderness whence he came. "It's your first time back in your hometown for a long time right? So how does it feel? I wouldn't know, as I have no hometown."

"Erm... What about your parents? Surely they are waiting somewhere?" The younger form of Cloud asked as he walked along the same path.

"My Mother is Jenova, I know so little about her, she died in childbirth. As for my Father?" Sephiroth suddenly faltered and began to whimper, he held his arms to his face, covering the irises, before he snorted suddenly, as if to suck away all emotion. "What does it matter? Hometown or not, this is where our mission takes place, let's move out."

At his order the group moved on, Cloud observed the scene as if in an out of body experience. Essentially he was, though this was more an out of time experience. He concentrated on the transition of the world from the outside to the centre.

_"Wait a minute, Jenova..."_ Barret's voice called out suddenly.

Cloud gasped as he looked at the world, it gathered entropy and chaos, the buildings twisted and distorted, the water within the well swirling like a maelstrom, the air blowing both East and West. Panicked he withdrew his concentration, pulling the group back from the vista before their eyes.

* * *

"Jenova... Wasn't she the headless fu'k in the Shinra building?"

"Yes she was!" Cloud asked with a sudden fury. "Barret, one important thing, if someone is sharing a vision you must **never** raise your voice suddenly!"

"What the hell? You's getting all worked up for!" He shouted in reponse.

"Guys please calm down." Aerith interrupted cautiously. "Barret, when a mindlink is opened, the body almost shuts down, to the point where the core physical components work, but the focus is so deep that it is almost comatose. Being far too sudden in how you talk to the sharer can cause severe brain trauma. It is an uncontrolled aspect of the mind, so you have to handle it with as much care as you would a nuclear bomb."

"Shi' I didn't know did I?" He responded defensively.

"Barret it's ok, it was done, and you can learn from it. Cloud seemed focussed on the tale, so please, let him continue." Tifa cut in. With silence restored, Cloud used the calm to refocus his mind, and allow the others to drift into the vision once more.

* * *

_ "The people seem distant, none have come out to welcome us or talk in any way. I get the feeling they are affraid of the monsters."_ The others listened to Cloud's voice fade in from the darkness, almost instantly, the scene became flooded with light, to show Cloud and Sephiroth face to face outside a building. "Though maybe, they might be affraid of us?" He asked suddenly.

Sephiroth nodded suddenly. "We may not know until we investigate further." He replied tonelessly. "For now we plan to spend the night here, we set off at first light. Our guide will be meeting us tomorrow."

"What do we need a guide for?" Cloud replied swiftly.

"We need to visit the source of Mako in this area, that means going into the Nibel mountains. It is a dangerous place, even without the monsters, due to the terrain. Therefore we have an expert joining us." He was about to walk inside when he turned back to face Cloud. "In the meantime you can visit your families."

As the leader walked away, Cloud began to circle around the well. The homes of the town were old fashioned, almost as if they belonged to an era approximately four centuries before now. The ground was a dirt path for the most part, with a small cobbled section leading to steps to the rear of the town. He walked past a three storey home unconsiously and entered into a single-tier dwelling.

"Hold on." Cloud cut in suddenly. "This is the home of my Mother, nothing of significance to Sephiroth occurred here." The scene began to fade when he suddenly heard chirping from Aerith.

"Cloud you can't bottle things up! You have to let it out, regardless of how insignifcant it might sound." She encouraged.

"She' your mother punk! Not'in' insignificant abou' her!" Barret cut in.

"I don't recall your mother even though we lived so close, I'd like to know more." Tifa added.

"Ok." Cloud responded quietly. "To be honest my Mother wasn't all that obvious, she was a typical woman who loved her son. Yeah. I saw my Mother."

Instantly light flooded the scene and the group were looking upon a small and spartan dwelling. Cloud and his Mother, it seemed, had never been the most well-off family. The rugs that covered the wooden floor were threadbare and ancient, whilst the living room doubled up as the bedroom. The only luxury was an old piano that bore multiple dents and scratches in the surface.

Cloud's younger form walked along the hallway, at the fireplace, a small woman was kneeling over a cooking pot. She wore a simple white dress which was covered by a pink pinafore. At the foot steps she turned around and held her hand above her mouth.

"Cloud? Is it you?" As the younger form of himself scratched his head, his Mother rushed over and embraced him tightly. "Oh Cloud! It has been so long since I have heard from you! And such a surprise to see you come and visit me!" Sit yourself down and we'll talk it all through." Suddenly the volume of the conversation ceased, Cloud strained to make it audible, but nothing worked. Suddenly, without warning, a white flash filled the group's vision.

The scene returned, only now, Cloud was lay on the bed. His mind began to hurt, he had seen this before, and he had not willed it into the view of the world, this was not meant to be here.

"I'm worried about you son," his mother called out from the distance. Cloud's bleary eyes saw that she was standing, as ever, by the large cooker in her apron, dusty with flour from the day of bread baking. "I am scared that you aren't looking after yourself. I mean, you were never the greatest cook, if memory serves me right."

"I'm alright." Cloud retorted; he was disinterested in the smothering words and busy bodied nature that she filled the room with. He was also panicking, he hadn't elected to show this, the vision was slipping from his grasp.

"I think you need a girlfriend, Cloud. No seriously," it was obvious that she could tell he was sending her a sceptical look. "But not just any girl will do, obviously. Someone who can look after you would be perfect. Ah, I know. What you need is an older woman. That'd be the perfect match for someone like you." His mother filled her face with a large smile, unseen by Cloud. "I think that would suit you."

"I'm not interested." This time he had voiced his inner apathy vocally. A flash of white fused with the apathetic words, before the scene fell to darkness once more.

The vision returned and his Mother was kneeled down in front of a large framed photo, her hands clasped tightly together. He felt terror flow through him, as he looked at the dream unfold in front of him. None of this was as he remembered, none of it made sense, none of it was wanted.

"Cloud, the Shinra care for you don't they?" She asked solemly. "They care you are from a Mother like me? That you have people who care for you behind him should you pass on?"

The words hit him like the hammer of god, the voice was twisted, distorted, ruined. The portrait showed a man in a long black cape, his hair silver and glistening. Cloud felt physical sickness arise from within, this world was not his own, this memory was not his own, this Mother was not his own. As dust arose around her, the scene flashed once again.

"Cloud." She was stood by the fire as she said it. Before the conversation slipped out of existence. "Cloud you know how things are." His Mother called out, only now she was scrubbing at the bathtub in the room, on her hands and knees, nowhere near the fireplace. Before he could try to fathom the confusion the conversation fell again. "Isn't the right Cloud?" His Mother asked as a question to accompany a statement, a statement he did not know nor understand, she knelt before the picture again, this time the man was suspended in fluid, a mask over his face allowed him to breathe. Before he could howl in pain the scene flashed once more. "I'll always be your mother." She announced, only her right hand was gone, it was scaled, clammy, as if it had only just been grown.

Angrily he snapped his mind free of the illusion focussing on darkness. "Let's stop this!" He announced forcefully, instantly the younger form of himself was back outside, the door to his Mother's house locked securely. Confused by what had happened Cloud let the younger form run free, instantly he went into the house next to his Mother's.

_ "Cloud?" _ Tifa's voice cooed softly. _"Did you go into my house?"_

Cloud nodded assertively. "Yeah, I assumed you'd be home as I hadn't seen you when I arrived at the town."

The home of Tifa was much more impressive than Cloud's. The floorboards were all covered with thick rugs and carpets, while the furniture was stylish and bore multiple symbolic figures such as gods and warriors. Cloud rushed up the stairs to find two doors, instantly he took the left and found himself in a room that was evidently for a young woman. Multiple teddy bears and dolls were placed on shelves neatly, while the bed had a sublime patchwork style.

_ "Cloud... Did you go into my room?"_ Tifa asked, evidently surprised by what she was seeing, Cloud's form simply nodded and ran further into the room to find himself in front of a mahogany piano.

"As I didn't see you, I remembered your piano. It was a magnificent piece, wonderfully tuned and with keys that had the smoothest action. I was no maestro, but my mother taught me to read music and play what I read, even if it was a slowed performance."

The group watched as he sat down and began to tap the keys softly, playing a smooth and slow musical number. Cloud hummed along with the notes, showing it was not some mindtrick to suggest he was suddenly gifted when not in the real world.

"After this though, I just left, disappointed I hadn't seen Tifa I had no wish to hang around." Instantly he clicked his fingers and darkness fell once more.

Cloud was back in the square, calmly he walked around the well and into the town's inn. The primitive inn had a single room the ground floor for breakfast, while the desk was an L-shaped compartment in the opening hall. As he walked in, Cloud noticed an old man with grey hair. What was unusual, was how he had a long red robe on, and multiple armlets on his wrists.

"Are you a stranger in this town?" Cloud asked casually.

The man shook his head. "No I am known here, I come back occasionally to see my pupil."

"Pupil? You don't look like a teacher." Cloud commented casually.

A bellow of laughter followed the comment. "No I guess I don't, no classroom for one. I am a travelling Sensei, a young girl named Tifa is my pupil here."

"Tifa?" Cloud asked in shock.

"Yeah, she might be young, but she has shown incredible aptitude for the art. I hope one day she'll become a travelling master like myself." He bowed elegantly. "Goodnight to you." He called before walking out of the inn and back into the streets.

With all conversation exhausted, Cloud walked to the upper level. Sephiroth was stood looking out of the window at the setting sun. Cloud joined him and stared into the wilderness, seeing nothing he hadn't before.

"What are you looking at Sir?" He asked respectfully.

"This scenery," he replied smoothly, "something about is really familiar, I can't think why as I have never been here before." Suddenly he turned from the vista and looked at him. "Anyway, we have an early start tomorrow, I reccomend we get some sleep now."

Cloud nodded and the pair made their way to the bunks that the Shinra had hired for the unit. With the lapsing of consciousness on the bed, darkness fell upon the group.

For the group, the vision was surreal. Their eyes feasted on darkness for little more than ten seconds, when, all of a sudden, they bore witness to a sunrise. It was as if the world had spun faster on its axis, all for the benefit of the past they had been invited to see.

They watched as the younger form of Cloud awoke alone, they chuckled in unison as he thrust aside the bedding desperately and dashed out of the room. The young Soldier bowled his way past the reception area with barely a word said. Out in the centre of the town, he frantically looked to his left and his right, before he was rewarded with the sight of Sephiroth and the other Shinra guards all stood outside the mansion that bore the namesake of who they fought for.

"Sir I am so so so sorry!" Cloud uttered as he made his way up the stone steps to stand aside his commander.

"Hmph! Remember that the Soldier is who everyone on the battlefield looks to. The longer you take to arrive, the more slack and lazy your warriors." Sephiroth replied disdainfully.

Cloud bowed. "I shall bear that in mind at all times."

Sephiroth nodded. "Good. Though today you are in luck, our guide has not yet arrived, so the delay is a cause outside your own. Never the less, don't let it become a habit."

As the pair continued their banter about the start of the mission, all of a sudden they were joined by a short man. He wore a two-piece suit that was styled in an ancient manner. The cuffs at the ends of the arms were puffed up like sponges, while the buttons were gilded and emblazoned with a family crest if sorts. The man had black hair and an angular face, were it not for the clothes, he would barely have been noticeable.

"Mr Sephiroth," the fellow began nervously and almost inaudibly. "I must remind you that this guide is incredibly valuable to us. The knowledge they hold is almost one of a kind, and many of our allies rely on it for their expeditions."

"You can rest assured that with two members of Soldier with them, your guide will have a very strong protective ring. Alone we can be as deadly as a guard unit. Together even more so." Sephiroth replied with a surprising level of diplomacy.

"Father!" A woman's voice shrieked suddenly. "You know that I have been trained to fight by Zangan, and that I also have knowledge of the mountains like no other! I don't need to be protected!"

The younger form of Cloud, shokced by the voice, spun to face her. As she stood on the steps, he felt his heart skip multiple beats. In the years he had been gone, Tifa had obviously grown up. She had ditched the jade coloured dresses, opting instead for an adventurer type of attire. A brown leather jacket had pockets stuffed with compasses, beef jerky and various knives. Her main body was protected by a similar white top and leather skirt that she wore in the future, though the strangest part of her look was the weather beaten cowboy hat.

"Tifa!" He called out, "you're the guide for the trip?"

She nodded emphatically. "Yup! While you've been earning your stripes for the army, the town needed someone who could handle the dangerous stuff while you were gone. I'm the number one guide in this town." She added with glee.

Cloud shook his head. "Tifa, your Father is right on this. We are here on an investigation that will take us to a very dangerous place. It's too risky for someone of your age to be putting themselves on the line like this."

She snarled angrily. "I am not some little girl that is frightened of heights Cloud! I can take care of myself!"

"More than that," Sephiroth cut in, "we can take care of her. Now we have wasted..."

"Umm... Excuse me." An anonymous figure cut in suddenly. "Hi, I work with the Town's press, and we want to run a story on your investigation. As such, I was hoping I could get a picture of you all together?" He asked with a sly plea.

Cloud could see Sephiroth about to protest. "The Shinra appreciate support from all the press around the world." He placated smoothly, before Sephiroth could cut the idea down. "We are on a very tight schedule that has, however, been compromised slightly. So it will have to be the one shot here and now."

"Oh of course!" The man announced emphatically. "Thank you so very much, I'll ensure the Soldier division recieve a special framed copy for display when you return to Midgar. Please, the three of you, step this way."

Swiftly Cloud, Sephiroth and Tifa stood together by a large cream wall that formed the perimeter of the mansion. Cloud stood to the left, his arms crossed together and the handle of his sword protruding from over his shoulder. Tifa carefully adjusted her hat and held the lip away from her face with her right hand. Sephiroth meanwhile, appeared as cold and lifeless as ever, the curved blade of Masamune pointed directly at the photographer. The flash was harsh in their eyes, even with the low light of the sun.

"Come, we have wasted enough time." Sephiroth announced brashly, before he led the group to the exit of Nibelheim adjacent to the mansion.

As the world faded in from darkness once again, the group's shared eye was flowing over a vastly different environment. Gone were the tudor buildings, street lamps and dirt tracks. In their place was a desolate mountain range. It looked a hostile and painful world, the many crags distorted and twisted, as if they had encased the strange creatures that Soldier had been called to investigate.

_ "If the town had not changed much,"_ Cloud orated as the scene continued to unfold in front of their eyes, _"then the mountains were truly a sign of the world remaining ever still. Since my childhood this place had been a place of terror and fear. The cutting and freezing winds, coupled with the lack of greenery made it an alien and inhospitable world. For ten long hours we travelled on the main pass, encountering multiple small groups of monsters only. Nothing seemed remotely worth our attention. That was until we reached a chasm that changed everything."_

The group watched the scene fade slowly, the light dimming at first to darkness, but then settling on a murky grey dawn. Their view had moved much closer to the mountains now. The group had become far easier to recognise. Sephiroth led from the front, his confidence and fighting prowess readied him for any challenge. Cloud stalked alongside his Commander, determined to show his courage and skill. Directly in the middle of the group was Tifa, handing out directions as they went, while the pair of Shinra guards brought up the rear.

"We'll need to cross the Nibel gorge in order to reach the area with the reactor." Tifa announced as they ascended over a crest in the mountain range.

"How far do we have to travel?" Cloud asked swiftly.

"Around six miles, we should reach it in an hour or so, provided we are careful."

As the information passed to the pair, Cloud and Sephiroth walked on, for two hours longer they stalked the ground before they saw it. The gorge was colossal and must have stretched for at least one hundred feet. It was an awe-inspiring and terrifying sight. To cross the chasm a bridge of rope and wood had been formed.

Cloud watched it sway in the wind and gulped. "We have to cross that?" He asked fearfully.

Tifa nodded softly. "No other way without climbing down a two hundred foot cliff face and walking through the undercaves."

"We have delayed enough, swallow your fear or return to base camp." Sephiroth ordered harshly.

Cloud shook his head swiftly. "I am here to serve with you Sir, I will follow."

At Tifa's order the Soldier fighters had sheathed their blades. Sephiroth's sword was odd in that the scabbard hung across, and up his back, to create a shape much like a crescent moon. It was a beautiful and functional shape. It meant that the colossal sword only needed about two feet in total span from side to side, coupled with that it meant the weapon did not match Sephiroth's height either. Cloud thought his Shinra standard issue system was the more functional, being merely a scabbard secured to his back via magnetic locks.

As he placed his first foot onto the slat, however, all thought of weapon functionality abandoned his mind. It wasn't that he had a fear of heights, his training enabled him to think about dangerous acts as tight-rope walking without fear. It was more about the way the bridge was made, its simple styling meant that it swayed heavily in the winds. Should there be excess weight on one side when a strong gust hit... He shivered at the thought.

For twenty long minutes he had made the walk until the crossing had been completed without a hitch. As he breathed a sigh of relief Tifa grinned and signalled for the interior of a mountain. The gaping maw was wide and as he looked in, Cloud was shocked at how bright it was.

"This is the main pathway to the trade route, hence it is well lit." She explained.

A sudden shriek filled the air and Cloud pushed past her, suddenly a creature that resembled a cross between a preying mantis and a spider leapt from the shadows. Cloud brought his weapon to bear and thrust heavily, the thick blade pierced the creature and it screeched pitifully as its vital organs were torn asunder.

Cloud began to wipe the blood from his weapon. "With the monster outbreak couldn't you have turned off the lights? It will be drawing them out."

Sephiroth smiled. "Rule seventeen, always darken your path when in a hostile territory. You have studied the manual well Cloud." He announced complimentarily.

Cloud grinned. "Yes sir! Always prepared!" He replied enthusiastically.

"Good to know." Sephiroth walked over to where Tifa was stood. "Do not be concerned, I know you are not responsible for the lighting of this place, I'll suggest it to the Mayor should our investigation not resolve things immediately. Now, which way to the reactor?"

She pointed to the South. "Engineers from the Shinra have gone that route under heavy guard, it is darker there so that matches the secret nature of it."

"Let's move." Sephiroth ordered. Instantly the group walked down the natural stairwell of the mountain. The smooth limestone inside the mountain created a slick but shiny passage. The route stairwell was narrow, so tight that multiple times Cloud and Sephiroth had to shift their bodies to not get trapped against the walls.

With the darkness total and the walls narrow, Sephiroth had ordered silence. Cloud had kept his hand near the hilt of his sword, just in case an enemy appeared. To his surprise none had camped within the shadows of the stairs.

As he walked through the natural archway at the bottom, however, his jaw hung open in shock. The interior of the mountain glowed with an ethereal and stunning teal coloured light. The natural grotto was at least one hundred feet high and easily forty feet in diameter. At the centre of the room was the source of the light, it was a colossal collection of crystals that stood four feet high, whilst multiple pools and streams of bright liquid poured around and over it.

"This is truly incredible!" Tifa gushed, "it's so pretty, no wonder this was kept secret!"

"It is something I have heard of before, but never thought I would see with my own eyes. It clearly shows why Shinra chose here as a Mako reactor site. With such a natural abundance of Mako flowing freely, the mountain must be riddled with pools and sources of magnificent volume." Sephiroth explained swiftly. "Of course, Mako is also what creates materia."

Cloud nodded. "Yeah I heard that in Soldier training, it's strange how materia gives us properties."

Sephiroth chuckled. "You made First Class and didn't know that?" He added mockingly, "evidently it was your battle skills that made you a warrior. Still, you are correct in that it feels unnatural, materia is a conduit that serves as the link between Man and the planet."

"Magic, a mysterious power." Cloud concluded from the explanation.

Sephiroth chuckled again. "Don't ever let Hojo hear you using such a simple term." He added with a snicker. "We shouldn't even call it magic, to him, it is inter-planal energy... Or something."

"Scientists always complicate things," Cloud added, "plus, what he can't hear can't offend him." He concluded with a wink.

Tifa giggled. "Life in danger has not dampened your sense of humour! Come on, the reactor should be nearby, it is at the Western exit of the mountain."

As the group stalked free of the exit, Cloud kept his eyes behind him. The very nature of the mission had been to investigate the outbreak of monsters. Aside from the dragon, nothing of serious threat had been uncovered. It galled him that the Shinra would order their greatest hero on such a nothing mission. Which told him one thing, it was not a nothing mission, and he had a feeling that he had missed something.

He pondered this as he followed the others out of the opening and was almost instantly blown off his feet by the force of the wind. Somehow, the natural gateway shelterered the inner cave from the external gusts. He began to shiver at the chill that the drifting air brought with it. As he looked he around, he saw the area was a huge open circular point, with a narrow set of ledges to the South-West.

As he looked directly West he saw the monolith beckoning to him. The Shinra had built the reactor directly on the edge of the mountain. A huge metal wireframe floor, supported by girders and rods aplenty, jutted out from the edge. Almost as if the had decided to build a mountain of their own. The way to the entrance was a wide metal walkway that was guided by long tubes of bright light.

He saw Sephiroth already advancing along the walkway and dashed the three hundred metres between where he stood and his destination. The reactor was different to those of the contemporary world. It was not as vast, the tower reached a lower height, and the Mako plume was not as bright or thick as those of Midgar. Only five pipes jutted from their insides and down into the core of the earth. As he was advancing along the walkway he suddenly heard footsteps, he spun to his rear to be greeted by the sigh of Tifa following him.

"Tifa! You can't come here!" He shouted back.

She stared at him blankly. "What? I am the guide! Without me you wouldn't have come here!"

"Girl, the reactor is a restricted site, only those of Shinra rank may enter." Sephiroth coldly cut in, having made up the distance silently. "Your role was to guide us here, now we have arrived, await our return so you may guide us back."

As her protest fell on deaf ears, a member of the Shinra guard walked onto the platform and faced back towards the mountain, signalling that she could not pass. Cloud looked back once again to see her sulking at the edge. Before he followed Sephiroth into the monstrous building.

Much like the exterior, the inside of the reactor was totally unlike anything those sharing the vision of the past had ever seen. Where as the depths of those in Midgar featured multiple levels as deep as five hundred feet below ground, this reactor had only the entry level, the main concourse and the Mako pool. No service levels, crane operating rooms or storage bays greeted them. Cloud walked down the sloping ramp and stepped onto the thick pipe that served as a conduit for the Mako energy to be shipped from the reactor to the surrounding settlements. Ahead Sephiroth stalked, paying no attention to the sheer drop that awaited on either side of the pipe. Like a giant of old, he walked on and into the main room.

Bizarrely the room was populated with what looked like gigantic eggs, they stood upright and sported portholes much like on a ship. Cloud found them bewildering and could only assume they were used as reactors for the rods which fused the energy. Except they couldn't be for that reason, as there were at least fifty of these chambers, all housed on three different levels that were tiered towards a room at the top of the reactor.

"I have found the problem." Sephiroth called out whilst beckoning Cloud over. The Soldier did as directed and found his Commander knelt over a console. "Most of the pressures on the chambers are too high, therefore more waste product is being expelled than is being safely flushed into the vats at the base of the reactor. Please shut the valves." He commanded.

Cloud followed the order immediately, he could see what Sephiroth had meant, the bars for each chamber was flickering between garnet and ruby toned. The lowest colour shade was green. Carefully and quietly he moved the dials to the left, his keens eyes watched the bars, he didn't want them to drop too low, else the reactors may stop fusing. Once they reached a soft amber tone he left the switches alone.

As he turned around he saw Sephiroth stood with his hand on his chin, this worried Cloud. His Commander was not prone to deep thought, his moves were always sub-conscious and fluid, when it came to deep thought, it meant something deeply troubling was coming. Cloud was frightened by it, though he dared not show it.

"Leaking valves releasing more waste product..." He began in a low and inquisitive tone of voice. "How would that cause mutated monsters?"

Cloud nodded. "Also, other than the dragon we haven't engaged anything out of the ordinary. Sure, there are a lot of them on the loose, but you've seen this mountain, it's a perfect environment for creatures that need darkness and damp to survive."

"Indeed Cloud, none of this makes sense. I want answers." Before Cloud could say a word Sephiroth had clambered up and stared through a porthole. Cloud looked on as the Commander dropped down with a look born of shock and horror. "So that is why. Oh Hojo, you think this makes you a great man? It is an experiment of class, but you will never ascend to the level of Dr Gast." He reflected suddenly.

"Sephiroth?" Cloud asked, pausing out of concern. "What have you seen?"

Sephiroth gestured at the nearest pod. "Look for yourself, make your own judgement."

Cloud gulped as fear threatened to claw out of his throat. He tried to feel calm, but he could not shake the apprehension. Whatever Sephiroth had seen caused him to react cold and harsh. He had begun to compare scientists and experiments, it was so out of place, he could make no sense of it. With a final swallow he gripped tightly to a pair of handrails at the side of the porthole.

With effort he levered himself up and pressed his face against the glass. Instantly he recoiled in horror, the inside of the tank was full of water, but that was not all, inside was a creature the like he had never before seen. The main frame was almost human, possessing two arms and legs, a large head and the same facial features of any man. However, the arms ended with two huge hands that had three talons, the chest appeared to be as hard and firm as body armour, while the top of the head possessed multiple tentacles.

Instantly he lost grip and fell to the floor. "What the!" He protested in disbelief. "This has to be some form of error, an accident with one of the creatures."

Sephiroth shook his head. "Why do we have so many pods? Also the reports of monsters that were incredibly dangerous and never before seen. You said it yourself, nothing we encountered so far came close. We know that monsters have spawned with the exposure to the raw energy of the planet creating mutations." He pointed at a nearby pod. "But for any form like that to happen, it would have had to evolve over hundreds if not thousands of years, there is nothing natural about that creature."

"Sir... Do you think there is some kind of other plan here? If what you say is true could the Shinra..."

"No!" Sephiroth screamed suddenly, Cloud recoiled in horror as the Commander pulled forth Masamune and began hacking furiously at the pods. "This is not... This is not who I am!" He roared suddenly.

"Sephiroth! Please, come away!" Cloud pleaded, though his efforts fell on deaf ears. Sephiroth continued to cut at the mysterious pods. Cloud, sensing that Sephiroth may not be in full control retreated to the entrance of the floor.

"All my life I have felt different," Sephiroth recalled between deep breaths. "I was always trained, even from a young age. Doctors, soldiers, masters... They all told me how special I was, how I was the most unique and promising child they had ever seen. Why would I be special!" He shouted with anguish in his words. "I'll tell you why, because, like that creature, I too am the product of the Shinra. I too am unnatural!"

"Sephiroth..." Cloud coaxed, "please, let us return to the inn, we have had many hours exposed. Let us rest, head back to Nibelheim and collate our intel." Cloud thought he had got through to him when Sephiroth's eyes narrowed and he ran.

The awesome speed of the move caught Cloud out and within a second his Commander had gone from the room. Instantly he rushed after him, but he was gone. Cloud sighed and the memory faded to black.

* * *

Their eyes opened in unision, Cloud was lay down on the floor and groaned, before he pulled himself to a sitting position. Everyone took deep breaths and looked at him.

"After that I left the reactor." He continued after sucking in more air. "I found Tifa and the Guards, they were all together, puzzled, as they had witnessed Sephiroth storm off."

Tifa nodded. "I tried to stop him explaining nightfall was not far away and we should wait for dawn, but he didn't listen and just wandered alone."

"We found a small inlet shelter and decided to bed down before we returned to Nibelheim. We saw no tracks and no one had seen him return, it was as if he were a ghost." Cloud concluded with a heavy breath.

"So he believed tha' he wuz some form of freak?" Barret asked.

Cloud nodded. "Essentially yes, but at the time I had no idea just how much of a freak."

"What happened after that?" Aerith cut in.

Cloud sighed once more. "Quite a bit, especially important as it explains why I think he is out for himself and also why I bear hatred for him. But the memory sharing has drained me badly, and I don't doubt you have all heard a lot too. I think we should break for the night."

There was mass agreement and Cloud gratefully lay down on a bed. he turned his gaze to the west to say the sky turning red with the sunset. At that moment he saw the houses turning red too, horrified he rolled over, and focussed on trying to ignore the memories for now and sleep. He would face the pain, but not here and not now.


End file.
